My Girl
by Piper Elizabeth
Summary: "Dr. Brennan never arrived at the Jeffersonian." A case from Booth's past comes back to haunt him. After Brennan goes missing, will Booth be able to save her on time? Will their relationship survive? Booth/Brennan
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** My Girl

**Disclaimer:** Bones and its affiliated characters do not belong to me. I mean no copyright infringement.

**Summary:** "Dr. Brennan never arrived at the Jeffersonian." A case from Booth's past comes back to haunt him. After Brennan goes missing, will Booth be able to save her on time? Will their relationship survive? Booth/Brennan

**Spoilers:** Nothing specific from the series.

**Note:** This story doesn't take place anywhere specific in the Bones timeline. If I had to pick a time, it would probably be somewhere in the middle of season 4 (since I haven't seen season 5 yet, except for the 100th episode, which I'm not even going to begin to get into).

**Chapter 1**

Blood. She tasted blood. So much blood. She swallowed and it burned the back of her throat. Her stomach protested the metallic tasting substance and she felt herself beginning to wretch. Nothing came up, but there was still more blood. It was like a constant flow coming from somewhere that she couldn't quite figure out. She couldn't understand. Why was there so much blood in her mouth? Why was she swallowing her own blood? It didn't make any sense. She felt the wave of nausea overcome her and she felt the acidic contents of her stomach in the back of her throat.

*****

Tuesday

8:10 PM

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"You can't make a general statement and say that it applies to everyone," she argued.

"I'm not saying it applies to everyone. I'm saying it applies to women."

"Exactly!"

"Exactly what?"

Brennan looked up from her computer screen and glared at him. He had that usual goofy grin on his face. It was the look that said he was enjoying arguing with her. Brennan shook her head and concentrated back at her computer screen. She was determined to finish the mountain of paperwork that had somehow piled up on her desk. She was usually so diligent about getting paperwork done, but with Booth insisting on things like going out to lunch and actually leaving the office at a decent hour, Brennan just didn't have the time she used to.

"Exactly what?" He repeated.

"I'm not having this argument with you," she replied.

"Why not?"

"Because it's childish and I have work to do."

"No, you won't have this argument with me because you're afraid you'll lose."

He knew exactly what to say to push her buttons.

"Fine," she said, looking up from her screen. If she was going to argue, she was at least going to put up a good argument. "You can't say that all women fight with their husbands or boyfriends or significant others or whatever…over leaving the toilet seat up."

"Trust me. There's not one woman out there in the universe who doesn't argue with a man who leaves the toilet seat up."

"You can't say that without talking to every woman in the universe, which is impossible!" Brennan shouted.

"You know, Bones, there are just some things that you can't use science to argue about. Women hate when men leave the toilet seat up. They're basically incapable of putting the toilet seat down for themselves."

"Women are not incapable of…"

He ignored her. "They want to be considered equals, they want all the same rights as men and yet they can't put the toilet seat down! I mean, we have to put the toilet seat up so why can't they put the toilet seat down?"

"Of course they can put the toilet seat down," she insisted. "They just…don't."

"Why?"

"Why are you asking me?"

"Because you're a woman."

"So?"

"So please explain to me why we get in trouble for leaving the toilet seat up when you could very easily just put the toilet seat down and avoid the whole argument."

"Just because I'm a woman doesn't mean I speak for all women. I mean, you don't speak for all men."

"Sure I do." Booth stood up and walked closer to Brennan's desk. He was determined to distract her from her work. He was starving and he was tired of waiting for her to finish whatever paperwork she was claiming she had to do.

"That's impossible."

"No it's not. All men are basically the same. Now women on the other hand…"

"No two persons are exactly the same so there's no way you can say that you're the same as every other man in the entire world."

"Well, every straight man in the entire world."

"You can't say that!"

"We're deviating from the point here."

"Which is what?"

"It's a proven fact that women can't handle when men leave the toilet seat up."

"Show me the scientific study."

"Excuse me?"

"You said it was proven, well I want the proof. Show me the research. Show me graphs, show me pie charts. I want data."

"I don't even know how to make a pie chart," Booth commented. He picked up a strange black box from Brennan's desk.

"Put that down!" She exclaimed.

Booth placed it carefully back on her desk.

"All I'm saying is…"

"Why are we still arguing about this?" She asked.

"Because you asked me how I knew our victim's wife was the murderer."

"So you're saying the reason you suspected this woman murdered her husband was because you saw the toilet seat up when we first investigated the scene?"

"Let's just say I felt it in my gut."

"I don't understand."

"Exactly."

"Excuse me?"

"You don't do gut. I do gut. You do bones. That's why I'm me and you're Bones."

"And let me ask you something. When this woman goes to court for her husband's murder, will the jury really settle for the fact that your gut told you that this woman was guilty or will the fingerprints, bone reconstruction, and analysis of the dirt at the scene convict your murderer?"

"Hodgins doesn't like the word dirt."

He walked behind her desk and leaned over her shoulder, looking at the computer screen. She pushed the screen, angling it away from him. She didn't need him hovering while she tried to write up his reports.

"You're avoiding the question."

"Alright Bones, you caught me, I couldn't do this job without you." He patted her on the shoulder, letting his hand linger a little longer than necessary.

"Thank you."

"But I'm still right about the toilet thing."

"Are not."

"Are too."

"Are not."

"Are too."

"Are…" Brennan threw her hands up in the air. "Fine!"

"Fine what?"

"You're only pestering me because you're hungry."

"See, Bones, you do have a gut instinct."

"No, you do." She turned off her computer monitor, slid her chair back, and stood up. Booth didn't move a muscle and she realized immediately just how closely they were standing together. Holding her breath, she pushed past him. "Your stomach is growling so loudly that they can probably hear it at the Hoover building."

"Aw…is Bones trying to make a joke?" He smirked.

"Let's go."

Brennan reached for her coat off the coat rack, but Booth got there first. He held the coat out for her. She rolled her eyes as he helped her put it on. She was going to comment about the fact that she was entirely capable of putting her own coat on, but she decided against it. She certainly didn't want to have another argument like the one about the toilet seat.

"So, what are you feeling tonight? Thai? Italian? The diner?"

"I think…"

Booth's cell phone began to ring, cutting her off. He dug into his pocket and pulled out his phone. After quickly glancing at the caller ID, he flipped open the phone and put it to his ear.

"Booth," he said. Brennan headed back for her desk, determined to get just a little bit more work done if Booth was going to be on the phone, but he grabbed her arm, stopping her. He wanted to eat and he knew if she got back on her computer, he would have to wait a lot longer.

"Yes," he said into the phone. "Collin Brown?"

"Who's Collin Brown?" Brennan mouthed.

Booth ignored her. He let go of her arm. "What? But that was…" Brennan noticed his eyes narrow and his nostrils flair. Something was definitely wrong. "What? No! No! No!"

His shouting took her by surprise. Sure, he was a man driven by his emotions, but Brennan couldn't even begin to guess what would make him so angry.

"Booth, what's going on?" Brennan asked.

"Damn it!" He shouted. Booth took the phone away from his ear and threw it. It crashed against the bookshelf on the opposite wall, thankfully missing the breakable glass case that encased a human hand that was nearly one thousand years old.

"Booth you just…broke your phone," Brennan said quietly.

Booth ran his hands through his hair. It was a move he rarely made. He hated messing up his hair.

"What happened?" Brennan asked. Booth turned away from her and clenched his hand into a fist. He raised his fist as if ready to punch the wall. Brennan closed her fingers around his wrist, stopping him. Punching the wall would only result in broken bones. "Booth?"

"Collin Brown," he muttered through clenched teeth.

"Who's Collin Brown?" He didn't answer. "Booth, who's Collin Brown?"

Sighing, Booth walked over the couch and sat down. Knowing food probably was no longer in their near future, Brennan shrugged off her coat and sat down on the opposite end of the couch.

"It was my first big murder case with the bureau."

Brennan waited for him to continue, but he was staring off into space as if he were trying to remember everything. "So Collin Brown was the victim?" He shook his head. "The murderer?"

"A woman's body, Carol Cooke, had been found tied up in an old abandoned warehouse. No evidence. No leads."

"What happened?"

"One week later, we got a video tape of Carole Cooke being tortured."

"He sent you a tape of the murder?"

"Not the murder itself. Just him torturing her. The trouble was, we couldn't tell from the video who our murderer was. Four months later, another woman shows up dead. Same MO. One week later, a video tape shows up on my desk."

"Another torture video?" Booth nodded. "What happened?"

"We kept waiting. We had no other choice. We had nothing to go on. It was the worst…knowing that we couldn't do anything without someone else dying first."

"Was there another victim?"

"Three more," Booth answered. Brennan could see immediately how difficult it was for him to talk about the case. "The fifth victim was found eight months after the first one."

"And you were sent video tapes after each victim was found?"

"They always arrived seven days later."

"How did you finally catch Collin Brown?"

"With the fifth victim we found a witness."

"Someone saw him murder the woman?"

"Collin Brown doesn't just murder women. Collin Brown tortures women until they die. I can't explain to you how…ugly his crimes were. He had no connection to the victims. He picked them out of a crowd and tortured them. No motive either except that he was a total psycho."

"The word psycho is highly overused in our society. As matter of fact, the word derives from…" Booth glanced over at her and she immediately stopped talking. "So…what about the witness?"

"She was a hooker. She saw Collin Brown pick up the last victim on some street corner. We found him and arrested him, but we couldn't find anything else to connect him to the crime besides the witness."

"Did you have to let him go?"

"No. We prosecuted him. Took him to trial."

"With only a hooker as a witness?"

"It was flimsy at best, but I was green and his lawyer was green and somehow we won. We could only nail him for the last murder, but we all knew he did them all."

"What was the phone call you just got all about?"

"They're releasing him from prison."

"What?"

"He got himself a fancy lawyer who got the witness testimony thrown out. That's all we had. They're letting him go."

Booth stood up.

"Where are you going?"

"To my office. I've got to dig up all I have about the case. I've got to find something else to keep this man in prison. If he gets out, he'll kill again. I'm not going to let that happen."

Booth headed for the door. With her coat slung over her arm, Brennan followed after him.

"What are you doing?" Booth asked.

"Going with you."

"There were no bones in this investigation, Bones. Trust me, I saw those women's remains. It almost would have been easier if they were just bones."

"I might be a bone expert, Booth, but I can still help. I want to help."

Booth nodded. "Thanks Bones."

"We're partners, remember? That's what we do."

She pulled on her jacket and they walked out of her office together.

"So…you never answered my question," Booth said.

"What question is that?"

"What do you want for dinner?"

Brennan couldn't help but smile. "Only you could still be thinking about food."

"A man's gotta eat."

"Why do you say it like that?"

"What?"

"A man's gotta eat. Saying it like that insinuates that women don't need to eat, which, of course, they do. It's a biological need that all humans, regardless of sex have and I don't think it's…"

"Thai it is," Booth said, cutting her off. He gently put his hand on Brennan's lower back, leading her through the door to the parking garage.

Author's Note: This is my first Bones fic and, from the outline I've started planning, it's going to be a long one. I'm very much a feminist, but I love good ol' damsel and distress stories so be prepared because that's where this story is headed. Thank you so much for reading. If you liked it, please review! If you didn't like it, feel free to review anyway, but please be kind!


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

She had to stop thinking about the blood. Ignoring the liquid substance in her mouth, she concentrated on the rest of her body. She cried out as the pain overwhelmed her. The pain seemed to stretch from her stomach up her ribs to her pounding head and her hands. More specifically, her wrists. It was as if she could feel every nerve in her wrists. She tried to move them, but found that they were immobile. As she focused, she realized that her arms weren't hanging by her sides. They were above her.

*****

Wednesday

4:12 AM

Booth flipped through the file for what felt like the hundredth time. He wasn't reading it. He was just flipping. He saw each page as he went through them, but the words stopped holding any meaning. He was frustrated and tired and the two did not make for a good combination.

The file itself was just as Booth remembered. All of his notes and reports from the original case were exactly the same. Nothing had changed. Of course, he hadn't expected the reports to actually change, but he had hoped that something would be different. He had hoped that something would jump off the page that proved that Collin Brown belonged in jail, but nothing jumped. Nothing even hopped. If anything, the words on the pages just blurred together.

There was no evidence that Collin Brown had committed the crimes, just like there hadn't been any evidence when the case was first brought to trial. There was nothing Booth had missed the first time around; nothing that he could have used to make Collin Brown's prosecution stick. Booth was proud of himself and his team that they had been so thorough the first time around, but his thoroughness wasn't helping them now. Booth closed the file folder he was holding. The only thing Booth knew for sure was that regardless of what the file included or didn't include, Collin Brown was guilty and Booth was going to do everything in his power to prove it all over again.

Sighing. Booth flipped the file open again. He was determined to read it for real. That was until Booth heard a small sigh escape his partner's lips. He looked down at her and smiled. Her head was resting on his thigh, her legs tucked underneath her. Her face was turned away from her, but he still had a good view of her perfect facial features. He put the file down beside him and couldn't help but stare at her sleeping form.

Booth would never admit it to anyone, but he often caught himself staring at her. She was impossible not to stare at. Not only was she breathtakingly beautiful, but she was so fascinating to listen to that Booth couldn't help it. But this, her sleeping on him, was an amazing moment. On the rare occasion that Booth did get to see her sleep, he took advantage of it. When she was sleeping, he could stare at her without worrying that she would notice. Watching her sleep was one of his favorite things to do. He only wished he had the opportunity to do it more often.

Booth was sitting on the floor, leaning up against the front of his desk in his office. Somehow over the last eight hours he had gone from sitting in his chair with Brennan across from him to sitting on the floor with her taking up residence beside him to her slumping over on him as she fell asleep. Booth had gently guided her head to his lap as she slept to make her more comfortable. He knew she would probably wake up with a neck ache, but he just didn't have the heart to wake her.

He longed to touch her. He always had that longing. Usually just patting her on the shoulder or putting his hand on her back was enough, but not recently. Recently he wanted more. Recently his hand had lingered on her shoulder for moments longer than it should have and his hand somehow always found hers when they were doing something as simple as eating together or going over paperwork. As he stared at her, he couldn't help himself. He ran his fingers through her hair, brushing it away from her face. He let his thumb run down her warm cheek. She let out another little sigh in her sleep. Booth wondered if it was a sigh of contentment.

Tearing his glance away from her, he looked back at the file that he had tossed aside. He really didn't want to pick it up again. They had been going through the old files for eight hours. Booth looked at his watch. It was just past four AM. He rubbed his face with his hands and then glanced over at the nearly empty Thai take out containers. Using the chopsticks that were still in the container, he shoved a pile of Pad Thai into his mouth. It was cold and tasted like it was eight hours old, but he didn't care. He was hungry. He was about to finish off the container when his phone rang. Cursing under his breath, Booth snagged it from the floor beside him. Brennan immediately lifted her head, her eyes wide. He could tell just from the deer in the headlights look that was on her face that she was embarrassed to have fallen asleep. What was probably more embarrassing to her was that she had fallen asleep on him. Seeking her cheeks turn red, Booth smiled.

"Booth," he said, answering the phone.

Brennan sat up and slide slightly away from him, straightening her hair. She picked up the file that she had dropped as she had fallen asleep and opened it.

"You're sure?" There was a pause. "When?" Another pause. "Yeah, I'll be there."

Booth slammed his phone shut and dropped it next to him, not caring that it hit the floor hard and bounced.

"You might want to more careful with that," Brennan said. "After all, your phone barely survived the flight across my office. I'm not sure it can handle another trauma like that."

"Trust me," Booth said. "It's survived worse."

"What was that all about?" Brennan asked, pointing to the phone. She was grateful that they had something else to talk about besides the fact that she had fallen asleep on him.

"They're releasing Collin Brown at noon today."

"Noon? That doesn't give us much time."

"No, it doesn't."

"Have you found anything in the file that we could use?"

"It's just as big a dead end as it was ten years ago," Booth answered.

He stood up, needing to stretch his legs. He felt like punching something, but he knew that wasn't going to solve anything.

"What about the videos?"

"We'll take a look at them as soon as we can get them out of the evidence locker."

"Hopefully they can help us," Brennan said.

"I wouldn't count on it. Collin Brown was a smart man. He could never be identified on the videos."

"Well, we'll figure something out," Brennan said, scanning over the forensic evidence that was found at the scene. Booth was right, they had nothing to go on.

"We've been at this all night," Booth said. "You should go home."

"I'm fine."

"Bones…"

"Really, I'm fine," she insisted.

"Is that why I have a drool spot on my pants?" He teased.

Her cheeks immediately went crimson and she turned her attention back to the file.

"You should have woken me," she mumbled.

"Why?"

"Because it was…inappropriate."

"Inappropriate that you feel asleep at four o'clock in the morning after spending all day at work and then reading over the same files for eight hours?"

"You know what I mean. You should have woken me."

He squatted down in front of her, his face dangerously close to her own.

"I couldn't. You're so peaceful when you sleep. I didn't want to disturb you." He reached out and curled a strand of her hair around his finger. "Besides…sleeping means no talking, which means no arguing, which means it's the only peace I get when you're around."

She scoffed and pushed him back. Smiling, he stood up.

"Let me remind you that you started it earlier."

"Started what?"

"The whole toilet seat argument. You started it."

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Did not."

"Are we going to argue again or are we going to find some way to put this psycho back in jail?"

"I thought you said psycho was an overuse word in our society."

"Fine," Brennan said, standing up. "If you don't want my help, I've got a nice, comfortable bed at home that…"

He reached for her arm, pulling her back from the door. "No, I definitely want your help. You and your squints are my only hope."

"Well, then what are we still doing here?"

"What do you mean?"

"We've got a whole box of physical evidence locked up somewhere in the basement of the FBI building that my team could be looking at. So, I repeat, what are we still doing here?"

"Bones, it's four o'clock in the morning."

"So?"

"So…normal people are asleep at this hour." She cocked her eyebrow at him. "Right, what am I saying? Squints aren't normal."

Brennan took her cell phone out of her pocket and was about to hit the speed dial when Booth put his hand on her arm, stopping her.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"Calling Hodgins," Brennan explained.

"Call Angela."

"Why?"

"Just call Angela," he insisted.

"But there's no facial reconstruction to be done, no scenarios to run through. We already know what happened. Now we just have to prove it. And for that, we need Hodgins so he can take a look at…"

"I know why we need Hodgins."

"Then why can't I call Hodgins?"

"Because my guess is that he and Angela are curled up in a bed somewhere, probably in one of the many bedrooms in Hodgins' mansion…"

"Estate."

"What?"

"Hodgins doesn't have a mansion. He has an estate."

"It's got more than four bathrooms. It's a mansion. Anyway, the point is the only way you're going to get Hodgins out of bed is if you rouse his woman, too."

"Don't call Angela his woman. She doesn't belong to him. She's still her own person, you know."

"Just call Angela."

Booth finally took his hand off of Brennan's arm. She rolled her eyes, speed dialed Angela, and waited.

"Hi Angela, it's me." She paused. "Yes, I know it's early, but I need your help. Can you get Hodgins and meet me in twenty minutes?" Another pause. "Thanks." She hung up and slid the phone back into her pocket.

"I told you," he said.

"I could have gotten Hodgins here without having to wake up Angela. Although Angela might prove invaluable when it comes to those videos. She might be able to find something that was missed last time."

"Not likely, but twenty minutes…that's not bad. They can mobilize that fast, huh?"

"I've got the best."

"That's where you're wrong," he said. "You are the best."

He pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number from memory.

"Who are you calling?"

"You've got your squints on route. Now we need the evidence to get to the Jeffersonian," he explained.

"Will they send it at four o'clock in the morning?"

"They will if I say please," Booth said as he listened to the phone ringing, waiting for someone to pick it up.

"Yes, this is Special Agent Booth. I need all of the evidence pulled from the Collin Brown case and sent to the Jeffersonian care of Dr. Brennan." He paused. "No, not later. Now. Yes, everything. I know what time it is, but this is important." Again, he paused. "Thank you."

Booth flipped his phone shut and put it back in his pocket.

"Alright, let's go."

Booth started to walk out of his office, but Brennan stayed behind. "What?" He asked, noticing her reluctance.

"You didn't say please."

Booth took her by the arm. "Come on."

Author's Note: So, I probably should have mentioned in the first chapter that this story eventually will begin to deal with some adult themes. Nothing will be graphic, but I'm just letting you know now. With that being said, thank you for all the positive reviews so far. This was a fun little chapter to write. I hope you like it!


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

She had to push the pain away. She had always been good at stopping emotional pain. She simply built up walls and wouldn't let them down. She had to build up walls to protect her from her physical pain so that she could stop and think. She had to rationalize. There had to be a rational explanation. There was always a rational explanation. She knew she had to assess her injuries, but as she tried, she realized that she couldn't. She couldn't assess anything. Not her injuries, not her surroundings, nothing. She couldn't asses anything because she couldn't see. She screamed out in horror.

*****

Wednesday

4:30 AM

"There better be a damn good reason why we're out of bed at four in the morning," Hodgins exclaimed as he slid his badge through the security box and walked up on the platform. Angela strode up the steps behind him, her eyes barely open.

Brennan and Booth were standing on the platform, Brennan's eyes transfixed on the computer screen while Booth continued to flip through the same file he had been looking at in his office.

"There is," Brennan assured them. "Thank you for coming."

"I don't see a body," Angela muttered.

"There is no body," Booth told them.

"Ok, so there's no body and I don't see any bones or any other disgusting material that you all seem to love either, so what's going on?" Angela asked.

"It's not exactly one of those cases where a body is necessary," Booth explained.

"Let me remind you," Angela said, pointing her finger in Booth's direction. "You woke us up at four o'clock in the morning so instead of playing these guessing games, could someone please explain to us what the hell is going on?"

"Collin Brown," Booth answered.

"Are we supposed to know that name?" Hodgins asked.

"You will," Booth answered. "Long story short, Collin Brown murdered five women several years ago."

"A serial killer?" Angela questioned.

"The worst kind of serial killer," Booth answered. "He tortures his victims before murdering them."

"Tortures them how?" Hodgins asked.

"Starvation, rape, burning, beating, psychological…" Brennan explained.

Angela put up her hand. "Ok, sweetie, that's enough."

"What makes him the worst kind of serial killer?" Hodgins wondered.

"There's no motive," Booth answered. "He kills for the thrill of it. He doesn't ask for a ransom, he doesn't even know these women as far as we can tell. He picks them out of a crowd and tortures them and kills them for no reason."

"And then," Brennan added. "He sends the FBI a video tape of the torture."

"As lovely as all this is, what does all of that have to do with us?" Angela asked.

"He's set to be released from prison at noon today."

"What? Who would like a psycho like that out of prison?" Angela questioned.

"We didn't really have much to convict him on. The case relied on a crappy witness and not much else," Booth said.

"Gotta love our government when they let serial killers out of prison," Hodgins commented.

"This isn't one of your conspiracies, Hodgins," Booth said.

"Sounds like a conspiracy to me," Hodgins replied.

"Conspiracy aside, are these people crazy?" Angela asked. "Why are they letting him out of prison now?"

"Like the term psycho, crazy is another word we overuse in this society," Brennan informed tem. "But, to answer your question, Angela, no, they're not crazy. There really was no evidence in his case."

"But he did commit the crimes," Booth quickly responded.

"Yes, but in this country we live by the motto that you are innocent unless proven guilty. You didn't prove him guilty. So technically, he should be set free," Brennan explained.

"Brennan…" Angela said, sensing the annoyed look at Booth's face.

"What do you want us to do?" Hodgins interrupted. He did not want Brennan and Booth to have one of their infamous blowouts in the middle of the lab. At four in the morning, he just didn't have the patience for it.

"Analyze the evidence," Brennan answered.

"The only thing that put him away was an eye witness statement that was iffy at best. We need hard evidence. That's where you come in," Booth said.

"Consider it done. So, where is this evidence that we're supposed to be analyzing?" Hodgins questioned.

"Should be here any minute," Booth replied. "The FBI is sending over everything they've got."

"Any bugs and slime?" Hodgins asked almost a little too excitedly.

"Probably not," Brennan answered.

Booth looked at the file he was holding in his hand. "Mostly it's some of the things they grabbed from his house. Some rope they were never able to do much with, but thought it might have been used on one of the girls. His clothing and shoes that he was wearing at the time he was picked up. Some more of his personal affects."

"That's not a lot to go on," Hodgins said.

"That's why you're the best," Booth responded.

"I thought you said I was the best," Bones remarked.

"You're the best with bones. Hodgins is the best with…"

"Bugs and slime," Hodgins finished.

"That's right," Booth said.

Brennan chose to ignore them all. "There will be some particulates on his clothing and shoes. And maybe we can pull something from the rope. Hopefully we can find something that will tie him to the location of the last murder."

"We'll have to get samples from the location," Hodgins said.

"They should be in with the evidence," Booth said. "If not, we'll have to go out there and get more samples."

"That wouldn't work," Brennan said.

"Why wouldn't that work?" Booth asked.

"Anything we might find in that location could be different than it was years ago. It would never hold up in court," Hodgins explained.

"Then hopefully the samples that are in the evidence locker are good enough," Booth said.

"Hopefully," Hodgins agreed.

"What exactly am I doing here?" Angela asked.

Brennan pointed to Booth. "He said the only way Hodgins would come is if you came."

Angela glared at Booth. "You mean I could be asleep right now?"

"We'd like you to take a look at the video tapes," Brennan said.

"That might not be necessary," Booth responded. Brennan gave him a confused look.

"But Angela is the best we have when it comes to analyzing…"

"I know," Booth said. "I just don't know if it's necessary for her to look at them."

"Look," Angela said, stopping their argument before it could really get started. "I'll take a look at the tapes, but first I'm going to make some coffee."

Angela walked off.

"I'm going to help her," Hodgins responded. "I'll start with the evidence as soon as it gets here."

"Thanks Hodgins," Brennan said as Hodgins went off after Angela.

"Why'd you tell her that?" Booth asked.

"Tell her what?"

"That I made you call her."

"Because you did."

"You still didn't have to tell her."

"That would be lying."

"It's not lying. It's…extending the truth."

"How is that not lying?"

Booth shrugged. "Look, Angela doesn't need to look at the tapes."

"Why not? She's excellent as analyzing photographs and videos."

"I know that, Bones, but these tapes aren't exactly the most appealing things to watch."

"Angela's a professional. She'll be fine."

"We'll see," Booth said as he began to walk away.

"Where are you going," she asked, as he headed towards the end of the platform.

"I'm going to go to my apartment, take a shower, maybe catch a ten minute nap and then I'm going to go give Collin Brown a piece of my mind before he gets out of prison and starts killing again."

"I want to go," Bones stated.

"To my apartment to shower and nap? If you wanted to get in the shower with me, Bones, all you had to do was ask," he said, smirking.

"You know what I meant."

"No," he said.

"No, you don't know what I meant?"

"No. No, you're not coming with me."

"Why not?"

"Because you need to go home and get some sleep. You've been up all night."

"So have you."

"Yeah, but I'm me and you're you."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that you need your rest. You get cranky when you don't sleep."

"I do not get cranky!" She nearly shouted, placing her hands on her hips.

"Uh-huh," Booth agreed sarcastically.

He turned and walked down the stairs off the platform and towards the door.

"I'm going with you," Brennan said, chasing after him.

"No you're not."

"Yes, I am. We're partners. This is what we do."

"Sometimes, Bones. This is what we sometimes do. Other times, you work in the lab and I go and do field work so we can catch the bad guy. So that's what I need you to do."

"That's not fair!"

Booth stopped and turned around to look at her.

"Trust me, you don't want to come."

"Yes, I do."

"Let me explain something to you, Bones. There aren't words in the English language to describe Collin Brown. He is an…evil, creepy man. The things he does to women..." Booth paused. "The things he does to women are unfathomable."  
"I know, I read the file."

"I don't want you around him."

"Booth, I can take care of myself."

"Trust me, I know that."

"We've dealt with evil, creepy serial killers before and it's never been a problem."

"This is different."

"How?"

"Because I know this guy, Bones. He's worse than anyone we've encountered before and he's been in prison for a long time. He probably hasn't seen a woman in years and the last thing I want is for the first woman he sees to be you."

"I think I can make that decision on my own, Booth. I'm not afraid of him."

"I know you're not." He took a long breath. "Look, there are no bones in this case. No reason for you to get involved."

"You're involved. That's reason enough for me. I didn't stay up all night going over files just to sit on the sidelines. Besides, you've got my people analyzing your evidence so technically we're all already involved."

Booth smiled. "Your people, huh?"

"What?"

"Since when did you have people?"

Bones shrugged. "I don't know, but it's got a nice ring to it, don't you think?"

"Personally, I prefer the term squints instead of people."

"I know you do, but now you're changing the subject. I'm going with you."

He sighed. "Alright. I'll drop you off at your place and pick you up in two hours. We'll visit Collin Brown together, but if he so much as looks at you the wrong way..."

"I'll break his nose," she finished.

"That's my girl."

They both walked out the front door and towards the elevators.

"Why do you say it like that?" Brennan asked as soon as they were inside the elevators.

"Here we go," he said, rolling his eyes.

"Here we go what?"

"I knew you'd get on my case about the 'my' girl thing. It's just an expression, Bones. You know, like the song."

"I have no idea what you're talking about and that wasn't what I referring to."

"You weren't going to yell at me for calling you my girl?"

"No although now that you mention it, I should be yelling at you because I certainly don't belong to you and I'm certainly not a girl so the saying really doesn't fit..."

"What is it that you were referring to, Bones?" Booth interrupted, knowing that she could go on forever.

"His name."

"Whose name?"

The elevator stopped at the ground floor and the doors opened. Booth stood back and let Brennan walk out in front of him.

"Collin Brown. You always say the whole name together. You never just say Brown and you never just say Collin. It's always Collin Brown. Why?"

Booth shrugged. "I don't know."

"I bet Sweets would have something to say about that."

"Says the woman who doesn't believe in psychology."

They approached Booth's car and he opened the passenger side door.

"I'm capable of opening the door myself," Brennan said.

"Just get in the car, Bones."

"I don't know why you insist on doing things for me that I clearly can accomplish on my own. Am I handicapped in any way? No. Do I need your assistance for any reason? No."

"Do you want to come with me or not?"

"Of course I do."

"Then get in the car...my girl," he said, smiling.

Brennan stepped up into the SUV.

"Don't call me my girl!" She shouted as Booth slammed the passenger side door closed. He couldn't stop smiling as he walked around the front of the car and got in. Only she could make him smile right before he was about to face a serial killer, who, in the matter of hours, was about to be set free.

Author's Note: Well, I hope you liked it! I had a lot of fun writing the end part with Bones and Booth talking/bickering. Scenes like those are quickly becoming my favorite parts to write. Anyway, there should be another update soon because I've been writing up a storm today! Thank you for reading and please review!


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

She concentrated on her breathing, taking slow, even breaths. She ignored everything except her breathing. She was trying once again to think rationally, to use everything she had ever been taught to figure out what was going on. She took a deep breath, held it, and then let it out again. She pushed the searing pain that ran through her whole body to the back of her mind and concentrated. If she couldn't see, she was going to have to rely on her other senses. She held her breath and listened. There was nothing. No normal sounds of the city like cars or construction. No sounds of being outdoors like the wind rustling through the trees. There were no sounds and it made her feel even more alone.

*****

Wednesday

6:58 AM

Brennan ran a brush through her semi-dry hair as she heard her cell-phone beep in the other room. She looked at herself in the bathroom mirror. Sure, she had looked better, but she was running on a one hour nap and her barely there makeup and barely dry hair was going to have to do. Brennan threw the brush into one of the drawers below the sink and walked into the living room. She picked up her cell phone from the coffee table and looked at it. Of course it was Booth. She read his message.

'Be there in 5.'

Brennan was about to slide the phone into her pocket when it beeped again. She looked at the message.

'...my girl.'

She wasn't sure if she should laugh or get ready to give him a good talking to about the inappropriateness of his new pet term for her. She settled on finding her shoes, which she had kicked off somewhere near her bed if she remembered correctly. One hour of sleep was definitely not enough, but she was going to have to deal.

After putting on her boots and throwing on her coat, Bones walked out of her apartment and out to the front where she knew Booth would pick her up. As soon as the door slammed shut behind her, she saw his SUV come into view. He stopped right in front of the door and Brennan got in.

"You look like hell," she said as she buckled her seatbelt and Booth zoomed off.

"Thanks Bones."

"Did you sleep at all?"

"I think I drifted off for maybe twenty minutes."

"That's not enough asleep."

"It's sweet how worried you are about me, Bones."

"I'm not worried about you. People who don't get enough sleep are prone to falling asleep while driving. I'm just looking out for my safety."

"Uh-huh."

"I didn't sleep because I was too busy reading Collin Brown's prison report."

"Prison report?"

"Yeah. Every prisoner has a file that contains all their medial records and reports of any incidents that might have occurred while they were in prison."

"What was in Creepy's folder?"

"Creepy?"

"You said he was creepy and you seem incapable of not saying his whole name so I'm giving him a nickname. Creepy."

"I'm not incapable of..."

"What was in his file?" Brennan repeated.

"Nothing. Well, nothing except the normal stuff. He spent his years in prison as a model citizen. No fights reported, no bad behavior of any kind. Most of the guards actually liked him, which is crazy to me. How can you actually like someone who's in prison?"

"My father's in prison," Bones stated.

Booth glanced over at her as she stared straight ahead at the windshield.

"Bones...I...what I meant was how can you like someone who's in prison who has tortured and killed five women," he said, trying to dig himself out of the hole that he had created.

"What exactly are you hoping to gain by going to talk to him?" Bones asked, ignoring his comment.

"I just want him to know that he's being watched."

"By whom?"

"By me, Bones."

"You're going to watch him?"

"If that's what it takes."

"So...you're going to stalk him."

"He's a murderer, Bones."

"It's still stalking."

"Is not."

"Is too."

"Is not."

"Is too. You know, I think you're becoming just a little too obsessed with this case."

Booth slammed on his breaks. He didn't care that they were in a middle of a busy street and the car that was behind them nearly crashed into them. Instead, the car swerved around them and the driver began honking and yelling all sorts of obscenities at them.

"I'm not obsessed," Booth stated through gritted teeth.

"Clearly you are since you nearly killed us in the middle of..."

"You've never seen what this man can do!" He yelled.

"I saw the pictures. I know…"

"You don't know, Bones," Booth said, his voice quieter. "You don't know until you walk into a crime scene and you see a woman that's unrecognizable because she's been starved and beaten and burned and her hands are tied together above her head and she's hanging from that hook. You don't know."

"You're right. I don't. I'm sorry." Brennan paused, giving Booth a moment to accept her apology. She had been working with him long enough to know when she should talk and when he just needed time.

"I'm sorry," he finally said quietly. "This case is just…"

"Creepy really got to you back then, didn't he?" Brennan asked.

Booth smiled. "Are you really going to call him creepy?"

"Yes," she answered, smiling back.

Booth started driving again and they both sat in silence.

"You're right," he finally said. "The case did get to me. I was young and stupid. I should have found more to go on than a crappy eyewitness to put him away forever."

"You blame yourself for him getting out of prison," she said as a statement and not as a question.

"I thought you didn't believe in psychology."

"I don't, but it's obvious that you feel some kind of guilt for him getting out of prison and you're willing to do almost anything to make sure he goes back to prison. I understand that. It's rational."

"It is?"

"Well...sort of."

Booth pulled into the prison parking lot. He parked the car and they both got out and headed towards the building. Booth approached a guard standing outside a tall, chain link fence covered in barbed wire.

"Visiting hours aren't until two PM," the guard stated.

Booth took out his badge and showed him.

"I'm Special Agent Seeley Booth with the FBI, this is my partner Doctor Brennan from the Jeffersonian. We need to talk to one of your prisoners."

The guard took a radio from his belt and spoke into it.

"Yeah, it's Rollins. I've got an Agent Booth from the FBI and a Ms. Brennan here..."

"Dr. Brennan," Brennan corrected.

"To see..." the guard continued, ignoring Brennan. "Who are you here to see?"

"Collin Brown," Booth answered.

"Collin Brown," the guard said into the radio.

"You should correct yourself and tell them I'm a doctor," Brennan stated. "And that I'm from the Jeffersonian. I'm not just some..."

Booth put his hand up, quieting her.

"Collin Brown is set for release today," the guard told them as he waited for a response from his radio.

"Why do you think we're here?" Booth asked.

"Send them in, Rollins," the voice on the radio said.

"Alright, go ahead Agent Booth, Ms. Brennan."

The guard stepped back into his guard booth and pressed a button. The gates in front of them began to slide open.

"Thanks," Booth said.

"It's not Ms," Brennan exclaimed as Booth put his hand on her shoulder and started leading her forward. "I am a doctor. An anthropologist, to be more precise. I'm the best in my field!"

"Do you have to do that?" Booth asked as they walked down the long road towards the prison.

"Do what?"

"Correct people all the time?"

"I wasn't correcting him. I was merely stating that he had my name wrong."

"He didn't have your name wrong. Just your title."

"How would you like it if someone called you Mr. Booth instead of Agent Booth?"  
"Special Agent Booth," he added.

"Ah-ha!"

"What ah-ha?"

"You don't like when people mess up your title either. Just because I don't have some fancy badge doesn't mean I'm any less important."

"I never said you were less important, Bones."

"Maybe I should get a badge."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because you have a badge."

"I do not."

"Yes you do. You've got your little Jeffersonian badge."

"Don't demean it by calling it little…and it's not a badge. It's a nametag for identification purposes and security clearance."

"Well, next time we go talk to a witness or question a suspect, you can wear your little nametag."

"It's not little! I don't see what is so wrong with me getting a badge. If I get a badge, you won't have to introduce me and people won't get my name wrong."

"Your title, Bones, not your name. And you're not getting a badge."

"But…"

They stopped arguing as they approached the door to the prison. A guard opened it for them from the inside.

"Why if it isn't Seeley Booth," the guard said.

Booth smiled and took the guard's hand, shaking it vigorously.

"Roger Higgins," Booth stated. "You working here now?"

"Yup. It'll be five years this winter. Look at you. Big FBI guy now, huh?"

"Yeah."

"You always did have the know-how for that line of work. And you've got yourself a woman now, I see."

"Oh, I'm not his woman," Brennan said, clearly taking a step away from Booth.

"This is my partner, Dr. Brennan."

"I've never been to a doctor that looks as good as her."

"I'm not that kind of doctor," Brennan explained. "And I'm right here in the room. You don't need to refer to me as if I can't hear you. Although that is common among males who..."

"Higgins and I knew each other back in basic training," Booth explained, successfully cutting Brennan off before she could even get started with what Booth was sure would be an anthropological argument.

"Never saw combat, though," Higgins continued. "Not like my buddy here, Booth."

"Why not?" Brennan asked.

"Bones," Booth hissed, signaling to her that she shouldn't continue.

"What? I'm merely wondering why he didn't see combat when he obviously trained with you to be in combat."

"Turns out I've got bad vision in one eye. Army said my peripherals weren't good enough to be in combat."

"Your peripherals were good enough for me," Booth stated. "I would have had you by my side in combat any day."

Booth slapped him on the back.

"The army is right, Booth. If someone loses vision and has difficult with peripherals, the odds greatly increase that he or she will not do as well in combat and will be a danger to him or herself as well as the others around him or her. It's a known fact that..."

"We're here to see Collin Brown," Booth interrupted.

"Hopefully with another warrant for his arrest," Higgins said.

"Why do you say that?" Brennan asked.

"A man like that doesn't belong in the outside world," Higgins replied.

"His file said he was a model prisoner. He got along with all the guards," Brennan went on.

"He was a good prisoner, there's no denying that. He never got into fights, always did what he was told, even talked another prisoner out of killing himself when none of the prison guards could, but that doesn't mean he's a good man. I've heard about what he's done to women. It's not right for a man like that to get out."

"According to our judicial system, there isn't enough evidence to hold up his conviction," Brennan said. Booth knew exactly what she was doing. Even though he knew she too believed that Collin Brown belonged in prison, she was testing Higgins. She was trying to gain as much information as she could about him. Booth couldn't help but be proud. She had learned that from him.

"I don't need any judicial system or evidence to tell me that Collin Brown is guilty."

"Why's that?" Brennan asked.

"Because Collin Brown is creepy," Higgins answered. Brennan glanced over at Booth. "Come on, I'll take you to him."

Author's Note: I just want to say thank you for the incredible reviews! I love reading each and every one of them. They really make my day so keep reviewing and stay tuned for more coming very soon!


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

She tried to remember. She tried to recover the last memory that was locked in her mind, but her memories were fuzzy. She couldn't be sure if what she remembered really was the last thing she remembered. She couldn't figure out how she had gotten to wherever she was and she had no explanation for why she was suddenly blind and in so much pain. Nothing made any sense.

*****

Wednesday

7:37 AM

Higgins walked in front of them as he led them down a series of hallways. The halls were dank and dimly lit. The building was certainly the opposite of what could be considered comforting. Brennan and Booth had been to a number of prisons, but they both shuddered as they walked down the halls.

Finally they stopped as they encountered another security guard booth. Booth and Brennan both had to sign in. Higgins said his goodbyes, winking at Brennan and giving Booth a 'man hug' where they patted each other on the back and embraced for merely seconds. Booth and Brennan were led by one of the guards from the booth into a small, holding room. There was nothing in the room but a small table in the middle and three chairs. They were told that Collin Brown would be in momentarily. Brennan took a seat in one of the chairs, but Booth couldn't stop pacing around the room.

"You're nervous," Brennan observed.

"I'm not nervous."

"Then why are you pacing? Pacing is most often a physical manifestation of nervousness."

"I'm not nervous. I'm...irritated."

"Why are you irritated?"

"Because I'm about to look a killer in the face and he's going to know that there's nothing I can do to keep him here. And..." He stopped.

"And?"

"And you're here."

"That irritates you?"

"Right now it does."

"Why?"

"Because."

Brennan stood up and walked over to him, essentially cornering him against the wall. She needed to get him to stop pacing so that he would talk to her.

"That's not a good answer."

"Bones…"

"Tell me."

"I don't want you here because you're a woman, alright."

She took a step back, alarmed by his answer. "I didn't know you were sexist, Booth."

"I'm not sexist."

"Then what do you call what you just said? Just because I'm a woman, Booth, doesn't mean I can't take..."

"Care of yourself, I know. I know you can take care of yourself and it's not…it's not because you're a woman and I think you're weak or something. Jeez, Bones, I'm not sexist."

"Then why are you so irritated?"

"Because you're a woman."

She threw her hands up. "Then you are sexist!"

"I am not!"

"You just admitted that you are. Although I agree that they are clearly differences between the sexes, I don't see how having a vagina and not a pen…"

"It has nothing to do with…what you have down there."

"Obviously it does or you wouldn't be so irritated."

"Fine, maybe it does have to do with you having a…a…"

"Vagina. It's ok, Booth. You can say it."

Booth shook his head. He was not about to start another argument about his resistance to talking about anything have to do with sex.

"He preys on women."

"What?"

"Creepy preys on women."

"True, but I'm certainly capable of taking care of myself."

"I know that, Bones." He finally stopped pacing and sat down next to her. "I just...I have this bad feeling, ok. And it's not because I think you can't take care of yourself. I know you can take care of yourself. You've proved that more than once. I'm not sexist, Bones."

"You have a bad feeling?"

"Yes, in my gut. I have a bad feeling about this in my gut."

"You know there is nothing scientifically proven about supposed gut instincts. I mean, gut isn't even the scientific word for it. Without facts, without hard proof..."

He covered her hand with his. It was a simple gesture, but she knew there was meaning behind it. "Just be careful, Bones. Don't say anything to provoke him, don't make eye contact with him. Just...be careful."

"You really don't want me here, do you?"

"It's not that I don't want you..."

"It's that you're trying to protect me. Is that it?" He nodded. He knew she hated it when he admitted to trying to protect her, but they were partners and that was his job. She would do the same for him. "Then I'll wait outside."

"Wait...you begged and begged me to come here and now you're just going to wait outside?"

"I didn't beg you. And yes. If it means that much to you, I respect this partnership enough and trust you enough to listen to your...gut...even if I don't understand it."

She stood up and made her way over to the door. She was about to knock on the door to signify she wanted to be let out when the second door in the room opened. Three men stood in the doorway. Two were guards, each holding on to the man in the middle's handcuffed arms. The man in the middle was an average looking guy. He was of medium build, medium height, and his hair was somewhere in between blonde and brown. He wore an orange jump suit that most likely covered up his medium physique.

Collin Brown was nothing but completely ordinary until that is, he made eye contact with Brennan. He completely ignored Booth and looked right at her. As the guards led him to the seat opposite Booth, he never took his eyes off her. It was the eyes that gave him away for the monster he was. They were dark brown; so dark brown that they looked black. There wasn't one ounce of emotion behind his eyes. There was no happiness, no sadness, no remorse. Absolutely nothing. Brennan shuddered and knew immediately that the nickname 'Creepy' was an understatement. The guards left the room leaving Booth, Brennan, and Brown alone.

"Agent Booth," Brown said as he continued to stare at Brennan. "I see you brought me a present."

"Eyes front," Booth snarled.

Brown reluctantly turned to look at Booth. "But she's so pretty. Is she yours?"

"She's not anybodies," Brennan answered.

She could tell why Booth didn't want her anywhere near Brown, but she couldn't leave. She needed to be there for Booth. She walked slowly back over to the table and sat down next to Booth.

"Does she have a name?" Brown asked coolly, focusing on her once again.

"Doctor..." Brennan began to answer.

"It doesn't matter," Booth interjected.

"You know, I'm getting out of here, Booth. In less than five hours, I'll be a free man. You have anything to do with that?"

"I should have shot you when I had the chance."

"But you wouldn't have, Booth. I know you. You've got too much heart."

"You don't know me."

"Oh, but I do. What do you think I've been doing in here all these years? I've been watching you, Booth. I've been following you. You've become quite the FBI agent. You and your sexy doctor here. It's Dr. Brennan, isn't it? Dr. Temperance Brennan?"

"How do you know my name?" Brennan asked.

"Just because I'm in prison, Dr. Brennan, doesn't mean I don't read the newspaper. Every time you and Boothy here catch a criminal, it makes headlines. You and your doctor friends. What are the names again? Oh yeah...Dr. Hodgins, Ms. Montenegro. Did I say that right? I always wondered if I was pronouncing it right. It must be killing you Booth that I'm getting out of here. Must be tearing your apart."

"I'll find a way to haul your ass back in here, don't you worry," Booth stated.

"Is that why you're here? To warn me? Or did you bring Temperance here to taunt me? It's been so long since I've enjoyed the company of a woman. You don't know how lonely it gets in here. And seeing an attractive, sexy woman makes me makes me…" He began to reach his hands out towards Brennan.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Booth warned.

"Why not? You gonna shoot me, Booth?"

"No. But if you touch her, she will break your face."

Brown lowered his hands back onto the table and folded them in front of him.

"That's alright. I like a feisty woman. I bet she's feisty in bed, Booth. Is she feisty?"

Booth stood up, ready to lunge across the table. Bones put her hand on his arm and he sat back down. He leaned over the table, putting his face close to Collin's.

"Hear this…I'm on to you. We are going to find evidence to throw your ass back in here so fast you won't know what hit you."

"You've got nothing, Agent Booth. But it does…excite me a little bit to know that Temperance here is going to be staying up all night thinking about me."

"I'll be watching you. Every minute of every day I'll be watching you," Booth threatened.

Brennan was about to speak up and state that it was virtually impossible for anyone to watch another person every minute of every day, but she stayed quiet.

"Agent Booth…" Collin began to say.

Booth grabbed the top of Collin's shirt and pulled him even closer.

"And if you go anywhere near her or my friends, I will kill you."

Brennan had never seen such anger in Booth's eyes. He let go of Collin's collar and stood up. Brennan followed his lead. He made sure to put his hand on Brennan's lower back and they walked to the door.

"We're done here," Booth said to the guard on the other side of the door. They waited for the guard to open it.

"I'm not afraid of you, Agent Booth," Collin said.

Both Booth and Brennan turned around. Collin was smiling.

"You should be," Booth said through gritted teeth. "Because I swear to God I'm about to make your life a living hell."

"We'll see about that. Goodbye Temperance. I'll be thinking about you. I'm sure we'll see each other very soon."

He winked at Brennan as the door opened. Booth quickly left the room with Brennan close behind. He practically stomped through the hallway in silence. They stopped at the guard booth to sign out and walked back out towards their car. As soon as they got there, Booth kicked the front tire of the car in a rage.

"Booth…" Brennan began to say.

He kicked the tire over and over again. Bones laid a hand on his shoulder and he finally stopped.

"You shouldn't have been in there," he said, not looking at her.

"Why? Nothing happened. I'm fine. Trust me, Booth, I've had men say more vulgar things to me than that," she said.

"It's not about what he said. He's a serial killer, Bones!"

"I know that."

"A serial killer who kills women!"

"So this all comes back to me having a vag…?"

"You shouldn't have been in there! He shouldn't know who you are!"

"He would have known who I was whether or not I was there! You heard what he said. He knew about us working together and Angela and Hodgins. I don't know what you're getting so upset about…"

He threw his hands up in the air. "Damn it, Bones! You should just stay in the lab!"

She crossed her arms over her chest. "Is that what you really think?"

He took a deep breath, realizing what he had said. "No, Bones. I'm sorry. This guy…this case…the lack of sleep…it's just getting to me."

She stood still, facing him, not uncrossing her arms. Her jaw was set. She obviously wasn't backing down. Booth put his arms on her shoulders.

"I don't think you should stay in the lab. I'm sorry. I wouldn't want to work with anyone but you. Besides, what man wouldn't want to work with a woman who nags him all day?"

"I do not nag."

He cracked a smile.

"You're not funny." She said. He took his hands from her shoulders and opened the car door. He got inside the car and poked his head out the door.

"You coming?"

She rolled her eyes and got in the passenger side.

"Where are we going now?" She asked as she put on her seatbelt.

"Back to the lab. Maybe Hodgins found something."

"And if he didn't?"

"Then it looks like I'm going to be following Creepy around wherever he goes."

"Let's hope Hodgins found something."

"Let's hope."

Author's Note: Well, everyone you finally met Creepy. I have to admit that I'm not much of a descriptive writer (I much prefer dialogue) so it was hard to write him. I hope he came off as being creepy enough. Anyway, thank you again for all of the great reviews. Keep them coming!


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

She heard something. It sounded like footsteps. They got louder and she could tell that someone was coming closer. She knew she should be afraid, but fear was something she had learned to contain. She debated whether or not to yell out, but decided against it. Instead, she stayed absolutely still, gathering all of the evidence she could from just the sounds she could hear. Whoever was walking near her was definitely a male. Suddenly she became a little more frightened.

*****

Wednesday

9:19 AM

"Tell me we have something," Booth said as he swiped his badge through the security box and walked up onto the lab platform with Bones close behind. Hodgins look up from his microscope and stood up as Booth and Brennan approached.

"Your guys really screwed us on this one," Hodgins replied.

"How's that?" Booth asked.

"The FBI crime guys have made it virtually impossible for us to get anything from the evidence that was kept from the original case," Hodgins explained.

"What does that mean?" Booth asked again. He knew that getting information from Hodgins could be like pulling teeth. It was near impossible to get him to say anything in terms that Booth could understand.

"It means," Brennan piped in, "that the FBI compromised the evidence. Now you know why I always take charge at a crime scene. Compromising remains or evidence can seriously compromise the investigation and severely decrease the odds that the case will be solved."

"You don't just take charge at a crime scene," Booth retorted. "You're down right bossy."

"I am not bossy."

"Yes you are. You start yelling at the local police the moment we step foot at a crime scene. How many times do I have to tell you, Bones that you should stay on the local's good side?"

"I don't need to be on their good side. That's your job. And I don't yell, I talk sternly to them because they don't know what they're doing."

"That's a little harsh, don't you think? Just because you're a forensic anthropologist and a best selling author, doesn't mean..."

"Being a best selling author has nothing to do with this. If you don't want me to take charge at a crime scene, which would result in evidence being lost, then you can be the one to tell them how to best transport decomposing flesh and samples and..."

"Anyway..." Hodgins interrupted, walking over to the computer monitor that was attached to his work station. He turned the computer monitor on. The image on the screen showed what was under his microscope. To Booth it just looked like a bunch of blobs.

"What is it?" Booth asked.

"I've been focusing on the shoes that were found in Collin Brown's house..."

"Creepy," Brennan and Booth said at the same time.

"Why is that creepy?" Hodgins asked, looking from Booth to Brennan and then back at Booth again.

"It's not creepy," Brennan replied.

"Bones nicknamed the guy Creepy," Booth explained. "Anyway, can we get on with the evidence please?"

"Your FBI guys..."

"Don't say it like that," Booth said.

"What?"

"Don't say your FBI guys like they belong to me."

"You called me my girl as if I belonged to you, which clearly I don't, and that didn't seem to bother you," Brennan commented.

"My girl?" Hodgins asked, raising an eyebrow.

"That's different," Booth explained. "And they're not my FBI guys."

"Your FBI. They're FBI. They're your guys," Hodgins stated.

"They're not..."  
"Booth!" Brennan yelled. "Let Hodgins finish."

"Thank you," Hodgins said. "As I was saying, your FBI guys destroyed most of the particulates on the shoes."

"How did they do that?" Brennan questioned.

"Well, considering none of them were probably bug and slime guys and the technology was a decade older, it's not surprising that they didn't have the capabilities to do what I do."

"So you weren't able to pull anything?" Brennan asked.

"The small sample that I did pull is what you're looking at now."

"And...what is it?" Booth questioned, feeling like he had to ask that question a million times a day.

"It's dirt," Hodgins answered.

"You don't like the term dirt," Brennan stated.

"No, but this is pretty much your common garden variety type dirt. It consists mostly of worm castings..."

"Worm castings?" Booth asked.

"That's worm poop," Brennan answered.

"I know what worm castings are," Booth said.

"Then why did you ask?" Brennan wondered.

"Anything else that this dirt can tell us?" Booth asked.

"The guy walked in a garden before is pretty much all I can get from it. Unfortunately it could be any garden anywhere. There's some pollen from your typical garden family daisies and some particulates that comes from dandelions, but there's nothing significant about this dirt."

Brennan looked closely at the screen. "What's that?" She asked. She pointed to a small, white spot that Booth never would have seen if she hadn't pointed it out.

"That is most likely a type of fertilizer," Hodgins explained.

"Most likely?" Booth asked.

"That small speck you're seeing is three hundred times magnified. It's not a big enough sample to test. I'm sorry, man, but this dirt isn't going to get us anywhere.

"What about the other evidence in the box?" Booth asked.

"The shirt was wiped clean by your FBI guys and Angela is taking a look at the videos."

"Correction," Angela said as she joined them on the platform. She was holding a box full of the videos in her hand, which she practically slammed down on the edge of the table. "Angela is done taking a look at the videos."

"You went through them all that fast?" Hodgins asked.

"No. I barely got through one of them."

"What's the problem?" Brennan asked.

"They're graphic," Booth answered, looking apologetically at Angela. He knew first hand just how difficult those videos were to watch. He had spent countless hours watching them, looking for every detail. Every time he watched them, he could hardly make it through without vomiting.

"That's the understatement of the century," Angela commented. "I'm not watching any more of these."

"Ang..." Brennan began to say.

"It's alright, Angela," Booth said. "You don't have to watch them."

"But that's the only piece of evidence we have that could..." Brennan began to say as Booth took her by the elbow and began to whisk her away. "Booth, what are you..." He led her over to her office. When they were both inside, he closed the door. "What was that for?"

"You can't make Angela watch those videos."

"Angela is the best at finding anomalies from photos and videos and..."

"I know that."

Booth perched himself on the edge of Brennan's couch and crossed his arms.

"Then why isn't she watching them? If analyzing videos was my specialty, I would..."

"You read what Creepy did to those women in the file."

"Yes."

"Now imagine watching that on video."

"I imagine it would be quite unpleasant, but..."

"Angela isn't like you, Bones."

"I'm aware of that. Our facial bones alone are incredibly different in size and shape..."

"That's not what I meant. She can't watch something terrible happening and compartmentalize it. You can. So asking her to watch videos in which women get tortured is almost as bad as Angela being tortured herself."

"I would never want that to happen."

"I know that, Bones. I'll have some guys at the FBI take a look at the videos again although I don't think we'll get much. We got everything we could from them when we were trying to catch Creepy the first time."

"But this isn't an official FBI investigation anymore. Won't you get in trouble using FBI resources?"

"As of 12:00 today, this will become an official FBI investigation again."

"Why?"

"Because the man we have down in the books as being the murderer is being set free. The case is now reopened. Of course, without any evidence, we're not going to have much luck in solving it," Booth said.

"We'll find something."

"Where? The shoes didn't give us anything. Neither did his clothes. The videos will probably turn up nothing."

"What about his house?"

"Bones, the man has been in prison for over a decade. He doesn't have a house. He sold it to pay his legal fees."

"Considering his lawyer just made him a free man, I'd say that was a wise decision."

"Bones."

"What? I'm simply saying that..."

"I know what you're saying. Look, maybe we can go back to his former address and see if we can sweet talk the new owners to let us have a look around. Maybe he left something behind."

"Sweet talk? That doesn't make sense."

"Just...get your coat, Bones."

*****

10:30 AM

Booth pulled into the crowded parking lot. He turned off the car and looked at the giant shopping mall that was in front of them. Bones glanced over at the mall and then back at Booth. She could see the frustration in his eyes. They had been working together for so long that even Bones, the woman who was incapable of reading other people, could read Booth most of the time.

"So much for that idea," Booth said.

Brennan turned her attention to the small laptop on her lap. She plugged in some information and a picture of the mall they were sitting in front of popped up.

"They tore down all the homes in this area six years ago to build the shopping mall. Collin Brown's house was among them."

"I guess we won't be getting any evidence from his house, then."

"No, but what about...what about a family member or a close friend or anyone else that we can talk to?"

"The guy was a loner. Although he has above average intelligence, he could never hold a job, never got married. His parents died when he was a kid. He was shipped from family member to family member, but no one wanted him. His closest relative was an uncle who lived in the woods in Maryland, but he died a few years ago. His other relatives had nothing to do with him."

"Don't you think they should be contacted since he's getting out of prison?"

"FBI's already on that. We've got our eyes on a few cousins and distant relatives, but none of them seem too eager to welcome him back into the family."

"What about the Uncle's place? The one who died?"

"We took a look at it. Didn't find anything. Uncle claimed he hadn't seen Collin Brown in years. We didn't find any evidence that he wasn't telling the truth."

"Who owns the house now?"

Booth shrugged. "I'm sure we can find out, but it's not going to lead us anywhere, Bones. We searched the place when the case first opened. What we need is something substantial. Some hard evidence. We need DNA or fibers or..."

"Bones."

"Why are you saying your own name?" Booth asked, confused.

"I'm not. I'm saying we need bones."

"I'm not following."

"We need to exhume his victims."

"That will take a warrant."

"Then call Caroline and have her find a judge to sign one."

"It's not that easy, Bones."

"Why? You said they're reopening the case. Tell them we need to gather more evidence to catch the real killer."

"Caroline's not going to do it without getting something in return."

Booth took out his cell phone and dialed Caroline's number.

"I'm not kissing you again," Bones said.

"What?"

"Last time Caroline wanted something, she wanted us to kiss…with steamboats."

"Yeah, trust me. I remember the steamboats." Both concentrated back on his phone as Caroline answered. "Caroline, it's Booth. I need a favor." Booth explained the circumstances, pausing several times for Caroline's responses. Brennan listened intently as Booth all but pleaded with Caroline. After several minutes, Booth finally hung up the phone.

"What did Caroline say?" Bones asked.

"She's going to try her best, but there's no guarantee."

"How can a judge say no when the case is reopened?"

"Judges can always say no. But, Caroline has a judge who owes her a favor. There's only one problem."

"What's that?"

"If Caroline gets the favor and we exhume the bodies and don't find anything, we're going to owe Caroline big."

"Bigger than steamboats?"

"Much bigger."

"What do we do until then?"

"We wait."

"You hate waiting," Brennan stated.

"Then we'll eat."

Author's Note: Again, I know this chapter was very dialogue heavy, but that's what I love so that's what you get. I have to admit that I'm finding Bones fanfiction to be somewhat difficult because the show is so science-heavy and I am definitely not a science person. But, I'm doing my best. I promise things will start getting more dramatic/angsty soon. Thank you for reading and please don't forget to review!


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

The sound was gone. Whoever had been walking close to her was no longer around. She heard nothing. She wasn't sure what she was more terrified of; that someone was near her or that no one was near her. Knowing that she was alone once again, she began to really assess her injuries. Without being able to see it was difficult, but she knew from the pounding in her head that she had some type of head injury. She could feel pain low in her chest and knew she had at least several broken ribs. Not to mention the injuries her wrists had sustained being immobile and tied above her head as they were. She couldn't help but wonder if there was anything more serious that she wasn't able to tell. She wondered how close she was to death.

*****

Wednesday

11:52 AM

Booth sipped his coffee as he watched Brennan swipe yet another fry off his plate. He never understood why she insisted on ordering a salad every time from the diner when she always ended up eating more than half of his fries off his plate. Most of the time, Booth didn't even want fries. He just ordered them for her. Booth smiled as Brennan dipped the fry she stole into some ketchup. Brennan eating his fries was just one of their unspoken things from a long list of many. He secretly loved it when she did it even though he would never admit it out loud to her.

"It's been over two hours," Brennan stated, popping the fry into her mouth.

"Caroline will call," Booth assured her.

"Yes, but what if she calls us and says she couldn't get a judge to agree to the exhumation. What are we going to do then?"

"We'll figure something out."

"Booth, we're out of evidence. We've tried everything…"

"Is that defeat I hear in your voice because I've never seen you give up on evidence like this before."

"I'm not giving up. The evidence we have from the original crimes has been compromised, which gives us very little to work with. I'm not giving up, I'm just saying that considering your people messed up…"

"Would you stop calling them my people? I'm not in charge of everyone in the FBI."

"So…what are we going to do if we can't find any more evidence?"

"Well, if the evidence doesn't work for us, then I'll start watching Creepy."

"Booth, you can't honestly think that you can keep an eye on one man singlehandedly."

"It won't be singlehandedly. I have you."

"I am not sitting in car with you for hours watching a man in the event that he might murder someone."

"Why not?"

"Because stakeouts with you are…" She didn't finish.

"Are what?" He leaned in over the table, closer to her.

"Unbearable," she answered. She reached for another fry, but he slapped her hand away. "Hey!"

"No more fries for you," he said, leaning back in his chair.

"Why not? You're obviously through with them."

"Because you stealing my fries is unbearable."

"That doesn't make any sense." She reached her hand across the table again for his plate, but he pushed it away. "Now you're just being difficult."

Booth crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm being difficult? How can you say that stakeouts with me are unbearable?"

"Because Booth you're…you're like a child. You can't just sit quietly. You have to talk or play with that stupid squishy ball you always bring along or…"

"What's wrong with talking? And it's not a squishy ball. It's a stress reliever."

"It's a mechanism for you to keep yourself busy. If you didn't have that, you'd be tapping your foot or bouncing your leg or doing something equally as repetitive."

"What's so wrong with that?"

"What's wrong with sitting quietly?"

"It's…boring."

"It's not boring. It's practical. You can get much more accomplished when you are sitting quietly without distraction. You would know that if you were actually capable of sitting quietly."

"What's the fun in that?"

"It's a stakeout, Booth. It's not supposed to be fun."

"Apparently not when you're around."

"Are you saying I'm not fun?"

"Pretty much, Bones, yeah."

"Well, don't expect me to help you stalk Creepy."

"I wouldn't be stalking him."

"Uh-huh."

Brennan quickly grabbed a fry off his plate and chomped it in half, defiantly.

"You're infuriating," Booth said. "I don't know why…"

Booth was cut off when his cell phone began to ring. Booth pulled it out of his pocket and looked at it.

"Is it Caroline?" Brennan asked.

Booth nodded. He opened the phone and pressed the speaker phone button.

"Tell me you have good news, Caroline," Booth said.

"Good news for you maybe. Not so good news for me," she replied.

"What do you mean?" Brennan asked.

"Dr. Brennan? How did I know you'd be there? You're probably both sitting around at that diner you all love so much picking off each other's plates. Am I right?"

"Actually, Bones picks off my plate," Booth answered. "I never…"

"Were you able to get a judge to sign the exhumation?" Brennan interjected.

"You're lucky I like you, Cherie," Carole said.

"Why are we lucky?" Brennan questioned, obviously confused.

"Because I was able to sweet talk a judge into granting your exhumation, but…"

"But what?" Booth asked.

"If this dead body doesn't give you the evidence we need, all of our asses are on the line and you can consider our relationship severed. No more favors, Booth. You hear me?"

"Yeah, I hear you," Booth answered.

"Now you go do your squinty thing and put this guy away for good or you'll both be paying," Caroline said.

"More steamboats?" Brennan asked.

"Steamboats won't even begin to cut it," Caroline answered before hanging up.

"Looks like we got ourselves a body to exhume," Booth said.

"I want to be there," Brennan stated.

"Where?"

"At the exhumation."

"Why?"

"Because I want to make sure it's done right. What we need is evidence, Booth, and the only possible way we can get it is from that body. I'm not letting anyone compromise that body. I'm not letting that body out of my sight until it's safely at the Jeffersonian."

Brennan stood up and Booth just looked up at her, not moving.

"What?" Brennan asked.

"Nothing. Just…thanks," Booth said.

"For what?"

"For helping me. For working this case with me."

"We're partners, Booth. That's what we do." Brennan smiled. "Come on."

Booth stood up. As he went to put his cell phone back in his pocket, he glanced at it briefly.

"Bones?"

"Yeah?"

"Look."

He showed her his phone

"What am I looking at?" She asked.

"The time."

"It's 12:01. So what?"

"So Collin Brown is officially a free man," Booth stated.

Brennan reached over the table and put her hand on Booth's.

"We'll get him, Booth. One way or another, we'll get him."

He nodded and followed her out of the diner.

*****

2:30 PM

"What is taking so long?" Brennan asked as she and Booth stood several yards away from the truck that was digging into the ground to get to the victim's coffin.

"This isn't like ordering a pizza, Bones. You don't just call up, order what you want and then expect it delivered within half an hour. It takes time to exhume a body."

"It's taking too much time," Bones said, having to nearly shout over the sound of the truck. A dozen or so others stood nearby. The director of the cemetery, two gravediggers who would help with the exhumation, several other FBI agents, the coroners, and the parents of the victim were among them.

"Just be patient, Bones."

"Usually I'm the one telling you that."

"Well, there's a first time for everything."

The truck stopped and the grave diggers took over by removing the last inches of dirt from the coffin. Booth glanced over as the victim's parents approached them. He hated this part. He knew exhuming the body was the only chance they had at ever putting Collin Brown back behind bars, but he still hated seeing the look on parents' faces when their child was being dug up.

"Agent Booth," the father said, his eyes red with tears. The mother clung to her husband, burying her head in his shoulder.

"Mr. Cooke. I'm…very sorry. I know this isn't easy."

"I…" Mr. Cooke faltered, having to wipe away a tear. "The agent who told us our baby girl was being…being…"

"Exhumed," Brennan interjected when she realized that Mr. Cooke was having difficulty coming up with the right terminology. Booth gave her a stern look, telling her that this was one of those moments where she shouldn't talk.

"He told us the man who killed her was being released from prison for lack of evidence. Is that true?"

"Yes, sir," Booth answered solemnly.

"Then you do what you have to do to put that bastard back in jail," Mr. Cooke said.

"We will, sir. You have my word."

Booth shook his hand before Mr. Cooke led his sobbing wife away.

"You can't promise him that," Brennan said.

"Sometimes, Bones, you have to tell people what they need to hear."

"Wouldn't that be lying?"

"It's different, Bones."

"You know what's strange?" Brennan questioned. Booth looked at her with an amused expression on her face. She didn't seem to pick up on it. "Mr. Cooke wasn't angry that we were exhuming his daughter. Anthropologically, burial is an important ritual in every society. When people disrupt that ritual, it makes the society very upset. But he wasn't upset."

"Because he wants justice, Bones. It's as simple as that."

She nodded. "Justice is also an important part of societies. Whether it be…"

"They're bringing the coffin up," Booth interrupted.

They both watched as the same truck that had earlier been digging the hole started to back up slowly. Straps had been securely wrapped around the coffin and the straps were connected to the truck. As the truck backed up, it raised up the coffin. In less than a minute, the coffin was airborne, lingering just a few feet above the ground. The truck slowly swung it around so it was hanging above what looked like a large gurney. The grave diggers shouted out directions as the truck lowered the coffin onto the gurney. As soon as it was securely resting on the gurney, Brennan was next to it.

"Nobody touches this coffin until it is securely at the Jeffersonian," she stated.

The two coroners, both male, nodded at her as they began to wheel the gurney over the rough terrain of the cemetery and towards their van. Brennan walked alongside it, doing as she had promised. She was not going to leave the coffin unattended.

She stood by as the coroners loaded the coffin into their car. One was about the shut the back door, when Brennan stopped them.

"I'm going to ride with the coffin," she said.

"I don't think that's necessary, Bones," Booth replied. "We can follow the van to the Jeffersonian."

"I'd like to keep an eye on the remains."

"They're not going to get up and walk away, Bones."

Booth's cell phone rang. He took it out of his pocket and put it to his ear.

"Booth," he said. There was a long pause. "Yes, of course. I'll be right there." He hung up the phone and slipped it back into his pocket.

"Who was that?" Brennan asked.

"Hey, Dr. Brennan, are you coming or not because we've got to get this delivered?" The coroner asked.

"Just a minute," Brennan replied.

"That was Parker's school," Booth explained.

"Is he ok?" Brennan questioned, instantly worried.

"He's fine. Rebecca can't pick him up so they need someone to get him."

"Dr. Brennan?" The coroner called from the other side of the van.

"I'll be right there!" Brennan yelled back. "He's incredibly impatient."

"Just like you were several minutes ago," Booth said. "Anyway, I've got to go get Parker."

"Of course. I'll ride with the coroner and meet you back at the Jeffersonian later."

Booth nodded. "Just be careful, Bones."

"Be careful? I'm accompanying a body to the Jeffersonian. What is there to be careful of?"

"Just be careful…my girl." He smirked as Brennan shook her head.

"Don't call me that," she said as she walked to the back of the van. Using Booth's hand to push off of, she climbed into the back of the van. Booth slammed the door shut when she was safely inside. He waved to her as the van pulled away, unable to keep the uneasy feeling from creeping into his gut.

Author's Note: Well, I hope you liked it. And I just want to say thank you to not only all of my reviewers, but specifically those who commented that they liked the little paragraphs before the start of each chapter. I went back and forth on whether or not I was going to keep those in and I'm glad I did because they seem to be creating suspense. Thank you for reading!


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

She knew if she had any chance of freeing herself, she was going to have to try to move. Her wrists and arms were almost useless. She had lost feeling in both her arms except for the sharp pain that had intensified in her wrists from being bound. Knowing that, she had to concentrate on the lower half of her body. Slowly, she moved her right leg. She could feel something solid beneath her foot. It was obviously some type of floor. She had her shoes on so it made it difficult to tell, but she guessed it was cement. That meant she was most likely somewhere indoors. She didn't know if that would help her get out, but it was a start.

*****

Wednesday

3:11 PM

Brennan braced herself on the bench in the back of the van as it bounced over the road. She took out her phone and dialed Cam at the lab.

"Dr. Saroyan," Cam answered.

"It's Brennan," Brennan said. "I have the body. We should be at the Jeffersonian in ten minutes."

"We're ready and waiting for you Dr. Brennan."

"I want to make sure that there is no chance of contamination of the evidence. I want Hodgins ready to analyze particulates and…"

"We have in under control, Dr. Brennan. And remember, I am the one in charge."

"I know that. I just want to make sure…"

Brennan heard Cam laugh. "We'll see you in ten minutes, Dr. Brennan."

The phone went dead. Brennan looked at it as if she couldn't believe that Cam had hung up on her. Slightly annoyed, Brennan was about to put her phone away in her pocket when the van made a sharp right turn. She heard the sounds of tires screeching and she felt the impact of something hitting the side of the van. The last thing she remembered was being thrown against the wall before being knocked unconscious.

*****

3:55 PM

With all the traffic Booth hit on the highway, it took him nearly forty-five minutes to get to Parker's school from where he was. He was cursing loudly to himself as he pulled up at the curb in front of the school. He knew it was a no parking zone, but all he could see in his mind was a picture of Parker sitting alone inside the school just waiting to be picked up. He hated to think that he was disappointing Parker like his father had disappointed him so many times.

Booth didn't even bother to turn off the car as he got out, and ran towards the building. He reached for the door handle and pulled, but it was locked.  
"Damn it!" He shouted. He cupped his hands against the glass doors and looked inside, trying to see if anyone was inside. Booth banged loudly on the doors. A minute later, a woman appeared at the door. She opened it a crack.

"Can I help you?" She asked.

"I'm Seeley Booth," he answered.

"Ah…Mr. Booth. I'm Mrs. Porter, the secretary." She opened the door a little bit more.

"Yes, Mrs. Porter, of course. I'm here to pick up my son Parker."

"I'm sorry, but Parker's already been picked up by his mother," she explained.

"That's not possible. I got a call from the school saying I needed to pick up my son…that Rebecca couldn't make it."

"There are no students left in the building. I saw Rebecca myself, Mr. Booth. She picked up Parker just like she does every day."

"Then why did the school call me?"

"I'm the one who calls parents, Mr. Booth when there's a problem with students needing to be picked up. I assure you that I never called you to pick up Parker."

Booth shook his head, thoroughly confused.

"But I got a call."

"I'm sorry…I don't…"

Booth took out his phone and speed dialed Rebecca.

"Rebecca, it's Seeley," he said when she answered.

"Seeley, what's going on?"

"Do you have Parker?"

"Of course I have Parker. Why wouldn't I?"

"I…I got a call from the school…"

"From the school? What's going on at the school?"

"Nothing…I…I just wanted to make sure you had him."

"Well, I have him. He's playing legos in his room. Do you want to talk to him?"

"No…not right now. I don't want to disturb him. Keep him safe, Rebecca."

"Seeley, is something wrong?"

"I don't know yet."

"Should I be worried?"

"No. Just keep Parker with you." His phone began to beep and he knew he had another call coming in. "Rebecca, I gotta go. I'll call you later." He pressed a button and put the phone back to his ear.

"Booth," he said, answering the call.

"It's Cam."

"Hey Cam. Look, can I call you back in five? I've got…"

"Seeley, something happened."

"What? Have you guys found something already because Bones must have only gotten there twenty minutes ago…"

"Seeley…"

"What?"

"Dr. Brennan never arrived at the Jeffersonian." He was so stunned he opened his mouth, but no words came out. "Seeley, did you hear what I said?"

"What do you mean she never arrived? She was with the coroners and the body. She should have been there twenty minutes ago."

"I know."

"Then where is she? Where's the van? Where's the body?"

"The van was in an accident. They found it just a few blocks from the lab."

"Where's Bones? Is she alright?" Panic began to set in. The uneasy feeling Booth had in his gut traveled to his heart.

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know? Is she alright or not? Was she injured in the accident?"

"I don't know yet."

"Then what do you know, Cam?" He hadn't meant to be so harsh, but he wanted answers.

"All I know is that there are…there are bodies, Seeley. Both of the coroners appear to have died on impact, but there was a third body found. It was burned."

"Burned? Was there a car fire?"

"No. According to the police, someone burned the victim after the accident. I'm on my way there now to see if I can…identify the remains."

"It can't…it can't be Bones. I mean…she was…she was traveling with a body. It has to be the body, right?"

"I can't answer that. At least not until I get a look at the crime scene. I should be there in less than five."

"Text me the address. I'll be there."

As if on autopilot, Booth hung up and headed for his car.

"Mr. Booth, is everything ok?" The secretary called out. Booth ignored her and got into his car. He immediately turned on the siren and looked down at the address Cam texted him. He sped away, wondering what the hell was going on.

*****

4:17 PM

With his siren on and lights flashing, Booth made it to the scene of the crash in just twenty minutes. He parked his car behind a dozen police cars and, flashing his badge to anyone who tried to stop him. He ducked under the yellow crime scene tape and ran over to the van. He originally began running scenarios through his head. The van had obviously been hit from the side and had flipped and then skid until it hit a building on the opposite side of the street. The front of the van had been squished like an accordion against the building.

Booth could smell the smoke in the air as he walked around the side of the van and saw Cam kneeling beside the badly burned remains. He glanced around quickly, seeing the usual commotion going on all around them. There were firefighters who had obviously put out the fire and police trying to keep order. A small group of onlookers had formed outside of the yellow tape, curious as to what was going on. Booth, though, had only one focus. He couldn't take his eyes off the remains. He slowly approached Cam from behind.

"Is it her?" Booth asked quietly.

Cam turned around and stood up to face him.

"Bones aren't my specialty," Cam replied. "We should take these remains back to the lab and…"

"Is it her?" Booth repeated through gritted teeth.

Cam looked back down at the remains and then back to Booth. "The body is badly damaged. It will be difficult to…"

"Cam…" She could see in his face that he needed to know. She was just afraid she didn't have the answer he wanted.

"The victim is a female. Same approximate height as…Dr. Brennan."

Booth swallowed a hard lump in his throat. He felt like his air supply was being cut off. He couldn't breathe. Cam leaned closer to the remains and ran her gloved fingers over what was left of the body.

"Please," he whispered.

"Looking at what remains of the pelvis and hips, I feel comfortable saying that this woman has given birth."

"Then it's not her."

Cam shook her head. "It's not her." Booth let out a sigh of relief. "Although we'll have to do a proper identification at the lab, my guess is this is the remains of your exhumed victim."

"If it's not Bones, where is she?"

"That I don't know."

Booth walked around the van and concentrated on the side that was hit. Cam walked beside him. A police officer approached them both.

"I'm Officer Bolton," the officer said.

"Special Agent Booth," Booth said. "What do we have?"

"A car, most likely an SVU or a truck of some kind came down this side street and struck the van from the side, causing the van to flip. Looks like the two men up front were killed almost immediately on impact. The third victim looks to have been removed from the van and set on fire."

"What about the woman in the van?"

"My guess? Whoever struck the van took the woman either to dump her remains somewhere else or to take her. Although how anyone could survive a crash like this is beyond me. But my opinion doesn't matter anymore because according to your guys, we're turning this case over to the feds. Something about that person being an important doctor or something."

"That important doctor is my partner," Booth snarled.

"Tough break, man," the officer said before walking away.

"None of this makes any sense," Cam commented. "Why would someone hit the van and only burn the victim that was already dead? Why leave the coroners intact? And why take Dr. Brennan?"

Booth ignored her and walked to the back of the van and peered inside. The coffin was lying open and was turned onto its side. The smell of death permeated out of the van, but Booth ignored it. He glanced around, looking for a sign of a struggle or anything that would help him figure out what happened to Bones. He pointed to a stain on the side of the van.

"There's blood. It could belong to Bones."

"I'll make sure forensics gets a sample. We'll run a DNA test."

"There's no sign of a struggle," Booth noted.

"Dr. Brennan wouldn't have gone without a fight," Cam stated.

"If she were conscious…or alive."

"This still doesn't make any sense," Cam said, trying to get Booth's mind off that fact that Brennan could have been dead. If she made him concentrate on the facts, they might be able to figure out what happened.

"Whoever did this did it to destroy evidence," Booth stated.

"Evidence of what?"

"Of what Collin Brown did."

"What?"

The realization of what had happened hit Booth. It was like a tidal wave knocking him backwards. He felt the bile rising in his throat as the anger boiled through him.

"Oh my God."

"What?"

"I know what happened to Bones."

"What happened?"

"Collin Brown."

"What? Booth, you're not making any sense." She had seen that look on his face many times. He was deep in thought and he was angry and incredibly scared.

"Collin Brown kidnapped her."

Cam sighed. "Look, Booth, I know you hate this guy, but he was just released from prison hours ago and the odds that he orchestrated this whole thing…"

"I know it's him," Booth said matter of factly. "I had a bad feeling about him from the beginning. He knew we'd find some way to put him back in prison and the only way to stop us is to destroy the evidence so he burned the victim that he already killed so we couldn't use her remains against him."

"That doesn't explain what happened to Dr. Brennan."

"He's a serial killer, Cam. He can't help but kill. He said it himself, he's been following my career and that includes Bones' career, too. He's been keeping tabs on her. It only makes sense that she would be his next victim. He has her."

"Booth…"

"He has her, Cam. I know it. I can feel it."

She sighed. "Ok. I believe you. What do you want to do?"

"I want to get all of this back to the lab. I want Hodgins to figure out what kind of car hit the van. I want to know everything about those coroners. I want to know where Collin Brown was supposed to be staying after he got out of prison. I want to get everything we can get so we can find her before this bastard puts his hands on her. I want everything done fast, but with incredible accuracy."

"I'll personally oversee the forensics team."

"Thank you."

"We'll find her, Booth."

Booth nodded and went back to the charred remains, silently thankful that they weren't Bones. He only hoped he found her before something equally as terrible happened.

Author's Note: Let the drama begin! I know you've been waiting a while for this so thank you for sticking with me for the beginning of this story. I hope you enjoyed it!


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

The next thing she noticed was the smell. Her nostrils were filled with a musty, dank smell mixed with chemicals that she couldn't quite place. Knowing she was indoors, she tried to process what the smells meant. The mustiness made her think that she was most likely somewhere underground. She was suddenly paralyzed with fear, wondering if she was buried alive. The feeling was all too familiar.

*****

Wednesday

7:43 PM

Booth paced back and forth on the platform, unable to stand still. He couldn't understand what was taking so long. She had been missing for more than three hours and no one had found out anything. Cam was holed up in her office trying to officially identify the remains of the exhumed victim while Angela was helping Hodgins identify the type of car that had struck the van. Booth had spent most of the three hours tracking down information about each of the coroners. They appeared to be just regular people with no involvement to Collin Brown or to Brennan's disappearance. They were just two people in the wrong place at the wrong time. Booth had spent the rest of the time trying to track down Collin Brown. The only problem was, nobody knew where he was. It was as if Collin Brown had walked out of prison and disappeared. It only reaffirmed what Booth already knew. He had her.

"I've officially identified the remains as Carol Cooke," Cam said as she walked up the steps to the platform. She held the DNA test in her hands.

Booth breathed a sigh of relief. "What about the car? Has Hodgins identified the car?"

"He's still working on it," Cam replied.

"Actually, he found it," Hodgins answer as he and Angela climbed onto the platform.

"Actually, we found it," Angela reiterated.

"So…?" Booth prompted.

"The car that struck the van was a champagne colored, 2004 Ford Explorer," Hodgins stated.

"Do we know who the car was registered to?" Booth asked, knowing it was a long shot. It was more likely that finding the vehicle's owner would take more time than they had.

"We ran a list of all champagne colored 2004 Ford Explorers sold in the DC metro area since 2004," Angela explained.

"You never would have guessed how many of these were sold. This must have been like the most popular car of 2004," Hodgins said.

"What did you find?" Booth asked, not caring how many were sold. All he wanted was to find the one that had taken Brennan.

"There was a champagne colored 2004 Ford Explorer reported stolen this afternoon," Angela answered.

"What time?" Booth asked.

"Around 1:00 PM," Hodgins said.

"Bastard," Booth said. "He wasn't out of prison less than an hour and he already had a plan to get to her. He must have been the one who called me about Parker."

"Parker?" Angela asked.

"That's why I wasn't with Bones when she was…kidnapped. I got a call from Parker's school that he needed to be picked up. When I got to his school, the secretary told me Rebecca had already picked him up. Creepy thought of everything. He thought about how to get to her when she was alone. He thought about how to destroy the evidence we needed. He thought about everything."

"Then we just have to be smarter than him," Cam said.

"Do we have a plate number for that car?" Booth questioned.

Hodgins handed him a piece of paper. "All the information is right there."

"I'll have the FBI put out an APB on the license plate, but chances are he's already ditched the car and has her somewhere," Booth stated. "Cam, were you able to test the blood from the inside of the van?"

Cam nodded. She walked over to one of the computers on the platform and typed in some specific information.

"The DNA matches Dr. Brennan," Cam announced.

They were all silent, contemplating the fact that her blood had been found at the scene.

"I don't know if this will make a difference," Angela said, "but I've done a recreation of the car accident. It's…not pretty, but…"

"Let's see it," Booth said.

They all walked off the platform and into the next room. Angela programmed her recreation machine while the others gathered around it. For the first time standing around Angela's recreation machine, Booth was afraid of what he'd see.

"From the damage to the van, we've determined that the car that struck it was going approximately 73 miles per hour."

A computer graphic of the van appeared on the simulator. A computer generated replica of a 2004 Ford Expedition came from the side and slammed into it. The van flipped onto its side, spun, and skid several yards until it jumped the sidewalk and crashed head first into the brick building on the opposite side. The damage on the side of the van was clearly visible. Booth couldn't stop thinking about Brennan being inside that van.

"The two coroners were killed instantly when the van hit the building," Angela explained. "Then, from what we can tell, the person driving the other vehicle took the exhumed victim out of the van and lit her on fire."

"Lit her on fire how?" Cam questioned.

"He simply used a match and burned the victim. With the embalming fluids used in embalming remains, she would have lit up like a fourth of July firecracker," Hodgins explained.

Cam glared at him, signaling that he needed to be more respectful.

"What about Bones?" Booth asked.

Angela plugged more data into the simulator. The overturned van disappeared and it was replaced by an image of the van with the back doors open so that they could see inside. Booth saw the coffin lying in the middle and Bones sitting beside it on the bench.

"On impact, Dr. Brennan would have been…thrown across the van while the coffin would have dislodged and opened," Angela said.

The simulation mirrored what Angela was saying. Booth had to look away when he saw Brennan being forced against the side of the van as it flipped. She hit her head hard against the side of the van.

"She would have been knocked unconscious by the blow to the back of the head," Cam said.

"Could the impact have killed her?" Booth questioned.

Cam shook her head. "Not likely. It was a hard blow, but not hard enough to kill someone."

"How did the driver of the Ford Explorer survive the impact?" Hodgins asked.

"You mean Collin Brown?" Booth replied. Everyone turned to look at him. "It was Collin Brown."

"We don't have any evidence that…" Hodgins began to explain.

"I don't need evidence!" Booth yelled.

"Dr. B would say that without evidence…" Hodgins said.

"Bones isn't here! And she isn't here because he has her! And if you don't believe that…if you're not going to help me find her, than you can…"

"Seeley!" Cam shouted, silencing him. "We're all going to help find Dr. Brennan."

Booth took a deep breath. "How did Creepy survive the crash?" He asked.

Angela changed the simulator again to show the Ford Explorer as it crashed into the van.

"The airbags would have gone off upon impact. If the driver crashed into the van on purpose, he would have been braced for impact and could have walked away with minor cuts and bruises," Angela explained.

"Why cause a car accident and put himself in danger?" Hodgins asked.

"Because it was the only way to destroy the evidence before getting it to the Jeffersonian," Angela said. She turned off the simulator machine.

"And it gave him free access to Bones," Booth added.

"I'm going to see if I can find any remaining particulates from the burned remains," Hodgins said, excusing himself. He left the room.

"And I'm going to take a look at the coroner's bodies. They may have died on impact, but maybe they can tell us something." Cam put her hand on Booth's arm before leaving the room. Booth leaned his hands on the edge of the stimulator and took a deep breath.

"I should never have left her alone," he said.

"You can't blame yourself," Angela remarked.

"I should have been there."

"You can't be with her twenty-four hours a day, Booth. You know Dr. Brennan. She would never allow it."

Angela smiled slightly and Booth couldn't help but chuckle over the thought of following Brennan around constantly. He had to admit that it was a slightly enticing thought.

"I should never have let her in the interrogation room. I should never have let Creepy lay his eyes on her."

"Brennan told me that he had been looking into both of your careers since you started working together. Creepy would have known about Brennan whether he met her or not."

Booth nodded. "I just feel so…useless. Just standing here while she's…I don't know what to do."

"Call your son."

"What?"

"My guess is you freaked out when Parker wasn't at school so you called Rebecca and totally freaked her out without meaning to and now she probably thinks you're in some kind of mortal peril. So, call your son."

"How do you do that, Angela? How do you always know so much about everyone?"

"It's a gift, baby."

He nodded. "Let me know if you find anything."

Booth made his way out of the lab. As soon as he reached his car, he got in and took out his cell phone. He speed dialed Rebecca.

"Seeley?" She answered.

"Hi Rebecca."

"What is going on? You scared me to death this afternoon."

"I'm sorry."

"Is Parker in any danger?"

"No, but I don't think I'm going to be able to take Parker this weekend."

"What? Why? Seeley, what the hell is going on?"

"Bones is…missing," Booth answered.

"Missing? What happened?"

"We're working on a big case and…I can't really discuss, but she's missing and I have to find her."

"Of course," Rebecca replied.

"Can I talk to Parker?"

"He's just getting ready for bed."

"Oh. I can call him tomorrow then."

"No, it's ok. I know you need to talk to your son. I'll get him."

Booth heard Rebecca call for Parker. He could hear the faint patter of his feet across the floor as he heard Rebecca hand the phone over.

"Daddy?" Parker said.

"Hey buddy."

"I've missed you, dad."

"I've missed you, too, Parker."

"Are we going to go to the park this weekend, dad?"

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I'm not going to be able to take you to the park this weekend, bud."

"How come?"

Booth could hear the disappointment in his voice. He hated disappointing his son. It reminded him too much of how often his father disappointed him.

"Something happened to Bones, buddy."

"Dr. Bones?"

"Yeah."

"What happened? Is she sick?"

"No, she's not sick, Parker. I need to…find something for her."

"Like a missing toy?"

"Yeah, bud, like a missing toy."

"That toy must be very important."

"It's the most important toy."

"Well, I guess it's ok then that we can't go to the park this weekend. I remember when I lost my Buzz Lightyear toy. I cried for a really long time. Has Dr. Bones cried over her missing toy?"

"Not yet, bud."

"Well, tell her that she can borrow my toys if she wants until she can find hers. Not Buzz Lightyear, though. He's my favorite."

"I'll tell her. I love you, Parker."

"Love you too, daddy."

"Can you give the phone back to mommy?"

"Here mommy," Parker said, handing the phone back to Rebecca.

"He really misses you," Rebecca stated.

"As soon as this is all over, I'll take him to the park and the zoo and the museum and anywhere else he wants to go. Right now, though, I…"

"Have to find Dr. Brennan, I know."

"Rebecca, I know you hate my job and the hours and…"

"I know how important Dr. Brennan is to you. I hope she's okay, Seeley. I really do."

"Thanks. I'll call you later."

Booth hung up the phone and went to the one place where he didn't feel completely useless.

Author's Note: Ok, so I know having Booth call Rebecca might have seemed a little random or unnecessary, but I wanted the conversation to portray more of Booth's emotions about what's going on with Bones. Not to mention that I couldn't resist writing a small scene with Parker. Anyway, more drama to come! Thank you as always for reading and for the fantastic reviews! I am completely humbled by the amazing things you all say!


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Click. Click. Click. She thought about the sound. What could it mean? It was familiar. It was something she knew she should recognize, but her head was pounding. She pushed aside the pain and tried to make sense of the sound. Always analytical, she ran through scenarios in her head. What could make that sound? Finally, she knew exactly what it was. Someone was taking her picture.

Thursday

4:36 PM

It had been 24 hours. 24 hours since Booth had seen here. 24 hours since she had been missing and they had nothing to go on. There was no hard evidence officially connecting Collin Brown to the crime even though Booth felt it in his gut more than ever that he was who they were looking for. There was no sign of where Collin Brown might be and no sign of the champagne colored 2004 Ford Explorer. Booth was running out of ideas and he knew Brennan was running out of time.

Booth felt the tension in his neck and back. He felt the throbbing headache that had been tormenting him for hours. He felt the pull of his tie around his neck like a noose. He felt everything, but he felt nothing. He was numb to everything going on around him. All he could feel was the pain in his heart. Collin Brown had Brennan somewhere and was doing unspeakable things to her and Booth was stuck in his office, unable to do anything. He couldn't find her and he couldn't live with that.

"Agent Booth?" An agent said, appearing in his doorway.

"What?" Booth replied more angrily than necessary.

"This just came for you."

The man walked into Booth's office with a large, manila envelope in his hand. He handed it over to Booth who took it and dropped it down carelessly on his desk. The man, whom Booth recognized from morning run-ins at the coffee pot, lingered in the middle of his office.

"Look, I just want to say...I'm sorry about your partner. I know you two were close. And I gotta say, it was pretty nice having her around here. I mean, she was pretty hot and …"

"Get out!" Booth shouted, his anger boiling over. He was out for blood and, at that moment, he didn't care whose blood it was.

"Sorry, man, that was out of line. I hope..."

"Get out," Booth snarled.

Finally taking the hint, the man scurried out of Booth's office. Booth immediately got up and shut his door. He didn't want any more interruptions.

Sitting back down at his desk, Booth grabbed a poker chip from his top drawer. He began running it through his fingers. The only time he felt he could concentrate was when he had something to do with his hands. He glanced over at Collin Brown's file that was resting on his desk. He had gone over it countless times. He knew he wouldn't find anything, but he had to try. He had to do something to get Bones back.

As he reached over to open the file, Booth remembered the reason the agent had come into his office in the first place. He picked up the manila envelope. It was blank except for his name, Special Agent Seeley Booth, which was handwritten on the front. Curious, Booth undid the metal clasp that held the envelope closed and opened it. He reached his hand inside and, feeling paper, he tipped the envelope so the contents spilled out on his desk. Three four by six pieces fell onto his desk. They all fell out upside-down, but Booth knew instantly that they were photographs. With his brow furrowed, Booth turned over one of the photographs. What he saw nearly made him yelp.

The picture was of a woman with a black bag of some kind over her head, making her unidentifiable. She wore nothing, but a dress that looked more like a potato sack than anything else that came only to her upper thigh. Her hands were bound above her head with wire. Her feet were dangling inches off the dirty, cement floor, meaning she was literally hanging from her hands. Even covered with the bag, Booth could tell that her head was rolled to one side as if she couldn't hold it up any longer. Her bare arms and legs were caked with dirt and, from what he could tell, badly bruised and cut.

Booth quickly flipped over the other three pictures. One was almost identical to the first he had looked at except it was taken from a different angle. Another was a close-up of the woman's head, although Booth could tell nothing because of the bag. The last picture was of the woman from behind. The bag was still over her head, but she had been stripped of the dress. All Booth could see was her naked back and the bruises that were on it.

Booth's hands clenched into fists. There was no way he could know for sure that it was her. He couldn't see her face and she didn't have any identifiable marks that he knew of. But he could feel it in his heart.

"Bones," he whispered.

He looked at each image again, going over every detail. He didn't want to look at them. He wanted to run them through his shredder so no one would ever have to see them again, but that wasn't a possibility. He knew that the photographs could lead him to her. He needed to be able to look past the bruises and the scars and the way her head hung to the side and see what the pictures were. They were evidence and he knew just what he had to do.

Booth quickly opened the top drawer of his desk and pulled out a latex glove and an evidence bag. He never knew why Bones insisted on keeping extra pairs of gloves in his desk, but he was glad she did. Booth pulled the glove onto his hand, not caring that his pinky finger didn't exactly make it into the finger of the glove. He had already touched the pictures and the envelope they had come in with his bare hands, possibly contaminating evidence. He wasn't going to make that mistake again. Booth picked up the pictures with his gloved hand and put them into the envelope. Carefully he put the envelope into the evidence bag and sprang to his feet. He walked out of his office, letting the door slam behind him, and headed straight for the coffee room. He found the agent who had delivered to him pouring cream into his stale cup of coffee.

"Where did this come from?" Booth barked, holding the bag up.

The agent practically dropped the mug of coffee he was holding.

"It just showed up in the mail," the agent replied.

"It has no post markings. It couldn't have just showed up in the mail!"

"I don't know where it came from. It was on top of the pile of mail that needed to be delivered. I delivered it to you."

Booth stepped closer to the agent, sizing him up.

"Who put it there?" Booth practically shouted.

The agent backed up, obviously afraid if Booth. "I don't know. Does this have anything to do with Dr. Brennan's disappearance?"

"What's your name again?" Booth asked, ignoring the man's question.

"Woods. Trevor Woods."

"Well, Agent Woods. You better start going over every second of video tape we have in the mail room. I want to know how this package got in the building. I want to know who delivered it and how it ended up on top of the mail pile. This isn't something you do when you find the time. This is something you do now. I want a call as soon as you know something. Is that clear?"

"Yes."

Booth stormed out of the room and down the hall towards the elevators. He slammed his fist against the 'down' arrow button and waited impatiently. He felt like the world was crumbling in on him. She was hurt and he was stuck waiting for a damn elevator.

"Agent Booth," a voice said from behind him.

Booth turned around and saw Sweets standing just a few feet away.

"Not now, Sweets."

Booth hit the down button again. He was in no mood to talk about his feeling with Sweets.

"You seem to be in quite a hurry," Sweets commented.

"And unless you want me to shoot you, I suggest you stay out of my way," Booth replied.

"You know, your hostility is stemming from a deep seeded emotional..."

"You have as much time as it takes for the elevator to get here to tell me what you want."

"I want to sit down and talk to you," Sweets answered.

"Talk to me about what?"

"How you're feeling."

"How I'm feeling?"

"Obviously you're under a lot of emotional distress right now and I just thought it would be healthy for you to talk about your problems instead of keeping them bottled up inside as you tend to do. So, when can I pencil you in?"

The elevator dinged. "My partner is missing," he said as if that were enough of an answer to Sweet's question. The elevator doors opened and Booth stepped inside.

"Is that evidence in Dr. Brennan's case?" Sweets asked as Booth hit the button for the first floor and subsequently hit the 'door close' button.

Booth looked down at the envelope he had in his hand and then he looked up at Sweets. As the elevator doors began to close, Booth reached out and grabbed Sweets' jacket, pulling him into the elevator.

"Hey!" Sweets yelled as the elevator doors closed and the elevator began its descent.

"You're coming with me."

"To talk?"

"To look at the evidence."

"Agent Booth, I really think it would be in your best interest to talk about..." Booth glared at him and Sweets immediately stopped talking. Sweets knew Booth well enough to know that continuing to talk would not be in his best interest. "What kind of evidence?"

"They're pictures," Booth answered.

"Pictures of what?"

Sweets reached for the bag, but Booth pulled it away.

"First we're taking these to the Jeffersonian to see if we can get anything off the envelope."

"Booth, what are the pictures of?" Sweets asked again, noticing that every time the word pictures was brought up, Booth winced.

"A woman."

"Dr. Brennan?" Sweets asked.

"I don't know for sure, but I think it's her."

Booth felt like the elevator ride was taking forever. He didn't want to waste any time.

"And in the pictures is she...alive?"

Booth looked down at the floor. There was no way he was going to show his emotions to a twelve year old psychologist.

"I don't know," he said quietly. "There's a bag covering her head."

The elevator doors opened to the parking garage. Booth practically sprinted towards his car. Sweets followed close behind.

"So you don't know for sure if it's Dr. Brennan?"

Booth stopped at his car and turned around to face Sweets.

"Do you want to help or not?"

"Of course I want to help Dr. Brennan. I just think maybe you're jumping to conclusions and that's really not healthy considering..."

"Say another word, Sweets, and I will shoot you."

Sweets threw his hands up in the air in surrender. "Fine. What do you want me to do?"

"Get in the car."

Sweets obeyed and got in the car while Booth went around and got in on the drivers side. As he turned the ignition to start the car, he also turned on the siren and red and blue flashing lights. He wasn't wasting any more time getting to the Jeffersonian. He threw the car into drive and screeched out of the parking garage.

"Are the siren and lights absolutely necessary?" Again, Booth glared at him as he accelerated. "Fine, I won't ask any more questions."

"Thank goodness," Booth replied.

"Except one." Booth rolled his eyes. "Why am I here?"

"You looked at Collin Brown's file, right?"

"Yes, I took a look at it."

"So you know about his MO?"

"I know that he used to kidnap women at random and tor..." he was going to say 'torture them,' but seeing the look on Booth's face, he didn't continue. "He always would send video tapes of...of what he had done to the FBI after the fact."

Booth was pushing away his emotions. He was focusing on the facts. He needed to focus on the facts or he would go crazy.

"Right. He would send video tapes after the woman was already dead. We never got pictures before and never this soon. I need you to look back at his file. Look at the transcripts from his trial. I need you to do a profile on him. I need to get inside this guy's head."

"That sounds like a scary place to be," Sweets replied.

"Creepy. It's a creepy place to be," Booth corrected.

"I'll see what I can do. You know, it's not unusual for killers to change their MO over long periods of time. I mean, this man has been in prison for years. I spent time studying prisoners and what happens when they get out. Even for the worst killers who know that they're going to spend the rest of their life in jail, they still fantasize what it would be like on the outside. Some just want to go back to having a normal life. Others...those who have no remorse for what they've done, spend their time thinking about how they'd kill again. How they could do it better. How they could do it with more showmanship. From what I've seen from Collin Brown, he was not a reformed man. He's probably been calculating what he would do and how he would kill again from the moment he was thrown in jail. All those years in prison have given him plenty of time to come up with a new MO. Plus, there's something else he's working on now."

"What's that?" Booth asked just as he pulled up at the Jeffersonian.

"You."

"What do you mean?

"He's working on getting back at you. You put him in jail. Now he wants revenge. He's willing to do whatever it takes. My guess is those pictures are a tease. He wants you to know he has Dr. Brennan without you actually being able to be positive that it's Dr. Brennan. He's torturing both of you."

Booth parked the car and turned off the engine. Sweets reached for the door handle to get out when Booth spoke.

"When he sent the video it was always too late the save the woman. Do you think we're...do you think I'm too late?"

Sweets chose his words carefully before he said them out loud. "I think Collin Brown has become an unpredictable man, which makes him even more dangerous. But I also think that if I'm right, and I usually am, he's going to continue this torture on both of you as long as possible. So no, I don't think we're too late."

Booth nodded, blinking away tears, and got out of the car.

Author's Note: As always, I'd like to thank you for reading. I really wanted to get Sweets involved in the story and I've found that I thoroughly enjoy writing his character so expect him to show up a lot more! I hope you enjoyed it and please review!


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

She heard her name. Whoever had taken her picture, whoever had stripped her of the clothing she had been forced into, was saying her name. It was a male voice. She knew she had heard it before. She tried to remember it. She thought long and hard as he said her name over and over again. Then she knew. She knew she wouldn't make it out alive.

Thursday

4:57 PM

Within minutes, Booth had Hodgins, Angela, Cam, and Sweets all huddled on the platform around the metal table that normally held bodies in various states of decomposition. This time, the table held only one item: the envelope still inside of the evidence bag.

"How did it get into the FBI building?" Cam asked.

"We're looking into that now," Booth replied.

"There's no postmark. No actual address except for your name. I'd say it was hand delivered," Hodgins remarked.

"Yes, but hand delivered by whom?" Angela questioned.

"Collin Brown might be changing his MO to taunt us, but he's not stupid," Sweets stated. "He wouldn't risk hand delivering the envelope. He probably hired somebody to do it. Poor schmuck probably had no clue what was inside of the envelope."

"It could still have prints," Booth said.

"Doubt it," Sweets responded. "He wouldn't be dumb enough to leave prints."

"Then we'll find something else!" Booth yelled.

"Ok," Cam said, trying to remain in control of the situation. The last thing she needed was for Booth to fly off the handle. "Hodgins, you take the envelope and look for any particulates or prints or whatever else you can find. Angela, you look at the pictures. See if you can give us a location of where they were taken or..."

"I don't think that's such a good idea," Booth interjected. "The pictures aren't...pleasant."

"I appreciate you looking out for me," Angela said, putting her hand on Booth's arm, "but I can handle this."

"Are you sure?" Cam asked.

Angela had a tear in her eye when she spoke. "If it'll help us find Brennan. Then yeah, I'm sure." She turned to look at Booth. "She's my best friend. I want to find her as much as you do."

"I know," Booth replied. "Thank you."

"I'm going to help Clark with examining our exhumed victim," Cam said. "Even though the body was burned, maybe we can find something useful."

"I'll be profiling Collin Brown," Sweets added.

"And I'll be standing here in the middle of all of you working doing absolutely nothing," Booth said, sighing. He knew everyone was trying their hardest to find her. They each had something they were good at to contribute and he felt like he had nothing. Everyone stared at him, but no one knew what to say.

"Ok everybody, let's get to work," Cam finally said, breaking the silence. Hodgins, Sweets, and Angela walked away, leaving Cam alone on the platform with Booth. She put his hand on his hand, but he pulled away.

"I can't do anything, Cam. I'm useless."

"You're not useless, Seeley. You're the glue that binds us altogether."

"Yeah, well that glue is about to fall apart."

"You just have to be strong."

"I don't know how much longer I can do that."

"We'll find her."

"You don't know that."

"We'll find her," Cam repeated.

"The only question is, will she be alive or dead?" Booth asked, not even wanting to think about what he had just asked. Of course it was a possibility. Of course she could already be gone, but he wasn't going to give up until he found her and brought her home to him.

"Go home, Seeley," Cam urged.

"I can't go home."

"You haven't slept in days. You've barely eaten...you haven't showered."

"Are you saying I smell?"

Cam crossed her arms. "If you want to find her, you need to be at your best. You know that. If we find something, we'll call you. You could be her in five minutes with that siren thingy."

Booth forced a smile, knowing she was right. "I'll rest, but I'm not going anywhere."

"Seeley..."

"Bones has a perfectly good couch right here in her office."

"Sleeping on a couch does not count as sleep."

"I need to stay here, Cam. I need to be a part of this."

Cam nodded. "Ok."

"Wake me up if you find anything. Promise me. Even if you think it's insignificant, wake me."

"I promise," Cam said.

Booth nodded, knowing that he had to put his trust in the people Brennan trusted the most.

"Thanks, Cam."

"We'll find her, Seeley," Cam said as she gave him a quick hug before walking away to attend to the dead body that was in her office.

Booth glanced around, seeing other squints at work. They were all going on with their usual work. Watching them work on identifying remains that were hundreds of years old and analyzing ancient artifacts and pond scum infuriated him. Brennan was missing and everyone was going about their day as if nothing had happened.

Shaking his head, Booth walked over to Brennan's office. He stopped at the doorway and looked inside, half expecting her to be there at her computer. Of course, she wasn't. Booth took a hesitant step inside. Even though any other day he would simply walk into her office with no problem regardless of whether she were there or not, he felt like he was invading her space.

Booth trudged in slowly and made his way over to the couch. He sat down and put his hand on the empty spot next to him. He and Brennan had spent countless hours on that couch going over evidence, producing theories, eating Thai food, and otherwise just chatting. He realized with her gone it was those moments he missed the most. He missed just being able to talk. He missed hearing the sound of her voice.

Booth was longing to go back to his office to keep working. He wanted to be watching the videotapes of the people coming in and out of the FBI building to see if he could find whoever dropped off the package to him. He wanted to be doing something, but he knew Cam was right. If he wore himself out, he'd be useless and he needed to be at the top of his game. Booth stretched out on the couch and laid his head on one of the throw pillows.

9:23 PM

He felt like he had just closed his eyes when he heard someone calling his name. It was a female's voice. Booth's eyes immediately sprang open and he sat up. An unfamiliar woman was standing over him. The first and only thing that he noticed was that she wasn't Bones. She was, however, a tall woman with dark brown hair and equally as dark brown eyes hid behind classy wire framed glasses. She wore a black business suit and black high heels that clearly gave a 'don't mess with me' feel.

"Agent Booth?" The woman asked.

"Yes," Booth said, standing up.

"I'm Special Agent Cassandra Temple."

She stuck out her right hand and Booth shook it. She was definitely a woman with a strong handshake.

"What can I do for you, Agent Temple?"

"Please, call me Casey. I'm the agent in charge of your partner's disappearance."

Booth's jaw nearly dropped. "Excuse me?"

"The bureau has assigned me to the possible kidnapping of Dr. Temperance Brennan. I was told she was your partner and that I could find you here."

"Possible kidnapping? Bones was kidnapped by Collin Brown."

"Bones? I'm not sure I understand."

"It's my nickname for Dr. Brennan," he explained as calmly as possible when he was anything but calm.

"That's…interesting," she said with a furrowed brow. "You are aware that there is no evidence that suggests Collin Brown is in any way involved."

"This is ridiculous," Booth yelled, fuming. "He has her and..."

"You're jumping to conclusions."

Booth clenched his jaw. If the agent standing before him wasn't a woman, he would have hit her by now.

"A serial killer who kidnaps women, tortures them, and kills them was released from prison yesterday. I just happen to be the agent who put him in prison and now my partner is missing! If you think that's jumping to conclusions than you should go back to Quantico."

"Agent Booth, I realize you're upset over your partner's disappearance, but I assure you, I will do everything we can to find her."

"No, I will do everything I can to find her! I'm not handing this investigation over to you!"

"You don't have a choice. The bureau has assigned me this case."

"She's my partner!"

"Then you should have known that the case would be given to another agent. The bureau doesn't allow agents to investigate cases having to do with their partners or family members. I've already been briefed on all of the evidence that has been found so far in this case and I assure you that I will do my best to find your partner."

"Look, I know Bones better than anybody. And I know Collin Brown better than anybody. If anyone is going to find her, it's going to be me!"

"And that's why I want you on my team, Agent Booth. But make no mistake, I am the lead investigator on this case. I will be making the decisions. And I do know your partner." Casey took a file out of the bag she had slung over her shoulder and flipped it open. "Dr. Temperance Brennan is one of the best in her field of anthropology…"

"She is the best," Booth said quietly.

Casey chose to ignore her. "She is also a best selling novelist. Her parents disappeared when she was sixteen. She was put into foster care and..."

"You know the facts. You don't know Bones."

"You have two choices, Agent Booth. You can work with me or you can be off this case for good. You choose."

Booth took a deep breath. He knew he really didn't have a choice.

"You'll want to look at the pictures," he muttered.

"Pictures?"

"I guess you don't know all of the evidence," he said sarcastically.

"I know everything that was processed through the FBI. Were these pictures brought to the FBI's attention?"

"They were brought to my attention," Booth replied, obviously annoyed.

"Well, now they are officially FBI evidence. May I see them?" Booth didn't answer. She put her hands on her hips. "Agent Booth, either you agree to play nice and take me to see those pictures or I'll have a judge decide that you are to have no involvement in this case. What will it be?"

Booth didn't bother to reply. Instead, he led the way out of Brennan's office. He hated the idea that someone else was going to be in charge of finding his partner, but he knew Casey was right. He should have known that they would take him off the case. It was FBI policy, after all. It didn't make it any easier to accept, though.

Booth walked over into Angela's office. He stopped at the doorway and looked at her, sitting in front of her computer. He could tell that the image on the monitor was a blown-up portion of one of the photographs he had been sent. Booth heard her sniffle and he knew that she was crying. His heart went out to Angela. She wasn't like Brennan or any of the other squints. She wasn't able to push aside the human aspect of crimes like the others were. She felt everything like he did.

Not wanting to disturb her, but knowing he'd have to, Booth knocked on the door. Angela turned around, quickly wiping her tears away.

"Angela, this is Agent Temple," Booth introduced. "Agent Temple, this is Angela Montenegro. She's our sketch artist and all around computer whiz." Angela smiled at the compliment as she shook Casey's hand. "Agent Temple has been put in charge of Bones' disappearance."

"What? I thought you were in charge," Angela said, completely surprised.

"He was, but now I am," Casey replied.

"With all due respect Agent Temple, Booth should be in charge of this investigation."

"With all due respect Ms. Montenegro, that isn't for you to decide. And please, call me Casey."

"But Booth will find her." Angela choked back a sob. "He has to find her."

Booth put his hand on Angela's shoulder as she wiped away a few stray tears.

"Agent Booth will still be a part of this investigation. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to take a look at the photographs."

Angela reached beside her and picked up six evidence bags, each one with a photograph inside.

"I've scanned the images into my computer so I can digitally enhance them," Angela explained. Casey grabbed a pair of latex gloves out of her pocket and put them on quickly. She gingerly took one of the photographs out of the bag. "All I've been able to tell so far is that obviously she's being held somewhere with a cement floor. A basement of some kind maybe."

"That's guess work, Ms. Montenegro. Not facts."

Angela leaned in close to Booth. "I don't like her," she whispered.

"Were you able to tell anything else from the photographs?" Casey asked. "Like, for example if this is actually Dr. Brennan."

"I'm running the images through my body matching software now," Angela explained. "We should know if it's a match soon."

"Body matching software?" Casey asked. "The FBI doesn't have that kind of capability."

"Angela developed the program," Booth explained.

Hodgins appeared in the doorway, holding the envelope the photographs had come in, in an evidence bag.

"The envelope is clean. No prints. No particulates," he announced. "It's as if someone took extra care to make sure it stayed that way."

"What do you mean?" Booth asked.

"I mean, any common envelope would have something on it. This envelope doesn't have anything. Like it was wiped clean. I had a buddy of mine from the fifth floor who is a handwriting expert take a look at it and he says it was written by a right handed individual who is most likely male."

"Creepy's right handed," Booth replied.

"Do you have an affinity for nicknames, Agent Booth?" Casey asked.

"Who's she?" Hodgins questioned.

Casey walked over to Hodgins with her hand outstretched. "Special Agent Casey Temple." Hodgins didn't shake her hand. Instead he looked past her and right at Booth.

"My friend is working on comparing the envelope to a sample we have of Brown's handwriting from prison," Hodgins continued.

"You have a friend looking into the handwriting? This should be done by the FBI crime lab," Casey said.

"The Jeffersonian has the best analysts you could ask for," Booth stated.

"Who is she again?" Hodgins asked.

"I'm the investigator in charge of Dr. Brennan's disappearance," Casey answered.

"No, Booth's the investigator in charge of Dr. B's disappearance," Hodgins stated matter of factly.

"Not anymore," Booth replied.

"Well that's bull," Hodgins said.

"Look, I don't know who you think you are, Mr..." Casey began.

"Doctor," Hodgins interrupted. "Dr. Hodgins."

"Well, I don't know who you think you are, Dr. Hodgins, but I assure you I am qualified to run this investigation."

"And I can assure you that Booth is more qualified than you'll ever be," Hodgins said.

"Alright, simmer down Hodgins," Booth said. He knew Cam was right. He had to be the glue that held them together, which meant he had to do the right thing. "Look, Casey's in charge. All evidence should go through her."

Both Angela and Hodgins looked at him in shock.

"Thank you, Agent Booth," Casey said.

"I'm not doing it for you," Booth replied.

Angela's computer made a dinging sound and she turned back to her monitor to look at it. Everyone else huddled around her.

"I've got a match with the body recognition software," she said.

The computer screen had one of the photographs from the envelope on the left side and a picture of Brennan taken at one of the Jeffersonian holiday parties on the right side. Each of the bodies was digitally outlined with a blinking green line.

"Does it match?" Both asked.

"95% match," Angela answered.

Booth wasn't sure whether he should be relieved or terrified. They finally had evidence that Bones had been taken, but then he had to face the hard reality that the bruises were on her body and not somebody else's.

"We still don't know if it's her," Casey stated. "This software isn't recognized as a legitimate tool…"

"It's Bones!" Booth shouted. "You can stand around all you want and debate about whether or not that is her and whether or not Collin Brown has her and is…torturing her as we speak, but I won't! I am going to find her!"

Booth stormed out of the office.

Author's Note: Ok, wow…first of all, thank you for the amazing, incredible, way-too-kind reviews. I'm really quite humbled by how much people like this story so thank you. As I've said before, I'm not a scientist or FBI agent (I'm only a librarian!) so it's good to hear that I'm at least sort of pulling off the science/investigation aspect of this story! Thanks for reading!


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

She felt a sharp pain on her cheek. She had been struck hard. The next blow came to her chest. She felt her ribs crack. The pain was too overwhelming. She was tired of feeling. She was tired of thinking. She was tired of trying to figure out what was going and why she was there. She tried to fight her blinding headache and the heaviness of her eyes, but she let her eyelids close. She fell into unconsciousness.

Thursday

9:48 PM

Booth walked back into Brennan's office, without really knowing what he was doing or why he was doing it. All he knew was he did not want to be anywhere near Casey Temple. He knew he had no reason to dislike her, but he still did. He wanted to be in charge of the investigation. He deserved to be in charge of the investigation. It wasn't because he wanted the credit or wanted to go down in the books as having another arrest. Booth needed to be in charge to feel like he was doing something to find her. He needed her to know that he was doing absolutely everything in his power to get her back. Having Casey around was taking that away from him.

Booth headed straight for Brennan's couch. He was mentally and physically exhausted. He counted how much sleep he had had. In forty-eight hours, he had slept less than three hours. He knew he was running on pure adrenaline. He knew he should lie down and try to sleep, but he didn't want to sleep. Sleeping would make him feel guilty. He couldn't sleep. He had to find some way to find Brennan.

"Agent Booth?" Casey said from the doorway.

"Go away," Booth replied.

"I'm afraid I can't do that."

"Can't you take a hint?" Booth asked, without turning around. "You're not exactly on my list of people I want to see right now."

"I know you don't like me and I know why. I can't help that they put me in charge of your partner's disappearance, but working against each other like this is not helping. We don't need to be friends, but we do need to work together. Because every moment we waste hating each other, is a moment we could be using to her."

Booth sighed. He knew she was right.

"What do you want?"

"They found the car."

Booth stood up immediately, suddenly much more interested in talking to her. "The Ford Expedition? Are you sure?"

"2004 champagne colored Ford Expedition with matching plates."

"Where was it found?"

"A highway patrolman found it in a ditch right off the highway during his usual patrol. When he ran the plates, he found the APB you put on the car. We've got a team on the way now."

"Did they find Bones?"

"There was no one in the car."

"Let's go," Booth said, walking past her out the door. "Hodgins!"

"Why are you calling for Dr. Hodgins?" Casey asked as she followed him.

"Because he's going with us to look at the car."

"Dr. Hodgins isn't an investigator. We will bring the evidence back to the FBI lab and…"

"Hodgins is the best bug, slime, and particulate finder you can find. If anyone can find evidence from that car, it's him."

"I have a team of highly qualified forensic scientists on their way to the car right now. I guarantee you that they can find anything that Dr. Hodgins can find."

"You called?" Hodgins said, approaching them.

"They found the car," Booth replied.

"I'll get my things," Hodgins responded, starting to walk away.

"Wait," Casey said. "I'm in charge here. We won't be needing your services, Dr. Hodgins. If you so choose, you can take a look at the evidence we find once it is brought back to the FBI crime lab."

"That evidence is coming back to the Jeffersonian," Hodgins stated.

"No, it will be going back to the FBI. This is an FBI case."

"I really don't like her," Hodgins said, walking away.

"Hodgins wait," Booth said. He turned to look at Casey, knowing he was going to pull out all the stops. If he had to beg, he'd beg. "Hodgins and the rest of the squints are the best and nobody wants to find Bones more than they do. Let them do what they do best."

Casey put her hands on her hips. "Fine, but I want to be kept in the loop. I'm still in charge of this investigation."

"Can I get my things now?" Hodgins asked. Booth nodded and Hodgins walked away.

"Thank you," Booth said. "Being a part of this investigation means a lot to them."

"It means a lot to you, too," Casey commented.

"She's my partner."

"Uh-huh."

"We're just partners."

"Are you sure?"

Hodgins appeared next to them with his bag slung over shoulder.

"Ready to go?" Hodgins asked.

11:15 PM

The scene was teaming with agents. Just as the highway patrolman had said, the Ford Explorer had been found right off the side of the road in a ditch. If it was meant to be hidden, the person trying to hide it hadn't done a good job. It was clearly visible from the highway, which made Booth think that it wasn't meant to hidden. It was meant to be found.

The car was bathed in lights from the floodlights that had been erected to help the agents with the scene. The crime scene unit that Casey had mobilized was going over the vehicle with a fine tooth comb. Booth knew it would have been easier for them to take the whole car back to the FBI lab, but that would take time and he didn't want to take any more time. Booth could hear agents shouting back and forth at one another and he could hear the sounds of dogs barking. He knew what the dogs were for. They were cadaver dogs, looking for any dead bodies in the area. He couldn't think about them. All he could concentrate was the car.

Booth stared at the pool of blood that was formed on the floor of the backseat of the Explorer. He knew it would take time for the DNA to be tested, but he didn't need DNA to tell him that the blood belonged to Brennan.

"I'm going to hitch a ride back to the lab with one of these FBI guys," Hodgins said, approaching Booth. He held up a bag of various test tubes and small evidence bags. "I'm going to start analyzing some of the evidence. I was able to find at least two distinct sets of hairs as well as particulates from some type of clothing on the front seat. Of course, considering the vehicle was stolen, there's no telling whether this evidence belongs to the actual owners or the person who stole the car. It will take some time to sort it all out, but I'll work as fast as I can."

"I know you will. Thanks Hodgins."

Hodgins slapped Booth on the back. "Hang in there, man. I'll call you as soon as I know anything."

"I'll be expecting a call as well, Dr. Hodgins," Casey said, approaching them both. "Remember, I'm still in charge."

"I'm Booth's squint. Not yours," Hodgins said.

"Play nice, Hodgins," Booth warned.

"I don't see why."

"Because we all have the same goal, Dr. Hodgins," Casey responded. "We're all trying to find Dr. Brennan."

"That doesn't mean I have to be nice." Hodgins turned to Booth. "I'll see you back at the lab."

"He really is loyal to you, isn't he? They all are," Casey observed as soon as Hodgins had walked away.

"We're all loyal to each other. We've all been through a lot together," Booth replied. "Have they found anything else?"

"When we get the DNA test back, we'll know if the blood did actually belong to Dr. Brennan. I made sure to put a rush on it, so we should have it back soon. I've got guys going over every inch of the surrounding area with cadaver dogs, but they haven't found anything yet."

"He won't kill her."

"Who?"

"Collin Brown?"

"Agent Booth, I know you have some…strange obsession with Collin Brown being the perpetrator in this case, but we still don't know…"

"I know. And you do too."

"No, I don't. There is no evidence linking him to the crime. Now, I will tell you that we are concentrating on him as a suspect and we're looking into the evidence to see if we can find anything to connect Collin Brown to the crime, but until then, he is a suspect and that's it."

"You sound like her."

"Like who?"

"Bones. She doesn't do anything without evidence. She doesn't believe in gut."

"Then that's where we differ, Agent Booth, because I do believe in gut."

"Well, my gut is saying that we're looking for Collin Brown." He looked at her, reading her face. "You're not convinced."

"It's not that I don't believe you or your gut," Casey replied. "I just refuse to dismiss the idea that it could be somebody else."

"If you have another suspect in this case, I'd be glad to hear it."

"I don't have another suspect yet, but what if it isn't Collin Brown and we're wasting all of our time looking for him? What if it's someone else and every minute we waste looking for Brown is a minute your partner doesn't have?"

"It's him," Booth said, nearly whispering. He suddenly wasn't so sure. He knew Casey could be right. Someone else could have Bones and he was too blind to see it.

"Alright. For arguments sake, let's say Collin Brown is our perp. How do you know he hasn't killed her yet?"

"Because I know Creepy. And I know Bones."

"He's a serial killer," Casey responded. "And he's changed his MO. I've got psychologists working on his profile right now. According to them, everything we know about Collin Brown mine as well be thrown out. He's not the same man he was back then. His pattern of finding his victim is different so who is to say that how he chooses to kill his victim won't be different?"

"You're right, but my psychologist knows something yours doesn't."

"Your psychologist? So now you don't just have your lab people, but you have a psychologist too?" She sighed. "What does your psychologist know that my team of experts doesn't?"

"Collin Brown is doing this to torture me. He took Bones to get back at me for putting him away. That's how I know she's still alive. Because as long as she's alive, he's still hurting both of us. The minute she dies, the game is over and he doesn't want the game to be over."

"That's an interesting theory, Agent Booth."

"You can thank Dr. Sweets for that," Booth said.

"Agent Temple," a young agent said, walking up to Casey.

"Yes?" She asked.

"We got the DNA results back on the blood."

"And?"

"There were two different blood types."

"Were you able to match them?"

"One belongs to Dr. Brennan. The other belongs to a recently released prisoner named Collin Brown."

"He does have her," Casey stated.

"I knew it," Booth replied. "So how do we find her?"

"I've got people looking at where Brown grew up and where he lived before he went to prison. Maybe we'll get lucky and find where he's keeping her."

"Bones and I already checked into all of that back when we found out he was being released from prison. He's got no connection to his life before prison. His old house was turned into a mall. If you read his file, you would know that."

"I did know that, Agent Booth. But now this is a kidnapping investigation and we have to start thinking outside of the box."

"I'm not wasting time looking into something that won't help me find my partner!"

"I am the lead on this investigation and I will decide what we look at and what we don't. I realize that looking into his old homes is a stretch, but that's all we have right now."

"That's not all we have. We have the car. We have the fibers."

"Then maybe we'll get lucky and your Dr. Hodgins will find something for us with the fibers."

"If anyone can find something, it's Hodgins."

"Fine."

"Fine."

Booth huffed and stormed off. He did not like Casey Temple.

Author's Note: Well, all I have to say is thank you for reading and thank you for the reviews! More to come soon!


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Note: Ok, so I just want to warn everyone that this chapter does have some 'adult content' in it. Although nothing is graphic by any means, I just want to warn everyone before you read. With that being said, here we go…

She didn't know how much time had passed when she woke up. She pried her eyes open and the first thing she realized was that she could see. It took her a minute to set aside her pain and adjust her eyes. It was a small triumph, but she was relieved that she wasn't blind. She looked around and saw him staring at her.

Friday

10:51 AM

Booth's eyes flicked open. He stared at the ceiling in Brennan's office. He had no idea what time it was or how long he had been asleep. He had spent hours after finding the car standing over Hodgin's shoulder, waiting to see if he found anything. Finally, Hodgins had had enough and forced Booth away from him. That was when Booth had sought the solace of Brennan's couch. He hadn't meant to fall asleep, but he couldn't help it.

Moaning from his aching back, Booth sat up. He looked at his watch and immediately stood. He couldn't believe how long he had slept. He made his way out of the lab and his eyes landed on Casey, who was standing in the middle of the platform, talking to Cam.

"Good morning," Casey said.

"You shouldn't have let me sleep," he replied coldly.

"You needed it," Cam and Casey said at the same time.

"What have we found?" Booth asked, ignoring them both.

"Not much. We're still working on some things," Cam explained.

"It's been almost twelve hours since we found the car. What exactly is taking so long?"

"Analyzing evidence takes time, Booth. You know that," Cam said. "Hodgins was able to identify one of the hairs as belonging to Dr. Brennan. The others have yet to be identified, which leads us to believe that the hairs belonged to the owners of the car before it was stolen."

"That's it?" Booth asked. "That's all we've got?"

"I think I'm going to get some coffee," Casey said, sensing the anger coming from Booth. She excused herself and left in search of caffeine. She hadn't had much sleep either since she had been assigned the case.

"We're running out of time, Cam," Booth said.

"I know that."

"How is it that Bones can find how a guy was murdered two thousand years ago, but we can't find a missing person?"

"It's different and you know it."

"And the cop in you knows that after forty-eight hours, the odds of finding Bones alive…"

"Yes, but this isn't a usual case, Seeley. This is someone who's playing with you."

Booth nodded. "You saw the photos. Do you think she's still alive?"

"Dr. Brennan is an extremely intelligent and strong person. If anyone could survive…"

"Give me your professional opinion, Cam. If this were someone else. If it weren't Bones…do you think she's still alive?"

Cam took a deep breath. "Considering the injuries she must have sustained, and the length of time she's been injured, I…the odds are…"

"That she's dead."

"But she's not someone else. She's Dr. Brennan."

"I'm going to get her back, Cam. Whether she's alive or…I'm going to get her back and bring her home."

"I know."

Booth's cell phone began to ring. He pulled it out and answered it.

"Booth."

"Agent Booth, it's Agent Woods." Booth tried to place the name. It seemed as if he had met too many new people and his brain wasn't processing the information as quickly as usual.

"Who?" Booth asked.

"I delivered the envelope with the photographs in it," Woods answered.

"Right. What is it Woods?"

"Another envelope arrived with your name on it."

"I'll be right there."

Booth hung up the phone and turned to Cam.

"What?" She said, seeing the deadpanned look on his face.

"Another envelope was sent to me," Booth said.

"More pictures?"

"I don't know yet, but I'm about to find out."

Booth began to walk away.

"Booth!" She called out after him. "Tell Casey. She's here to help."

Booth's initial reaction was to run and get to the envelope as fast as he could. He didn't care about Casey or keeping her in the loop, but he knew he had to. He headed for the coffee pot.

11:29 AM

Booth couldn't stop tapping his foot inside the elevator. He couldn't understand what was taking so long. Being so late, the building was mostly empty so there was no reason why the elevator should be so slow. Booth glanced up at the floor numbers that were above the elevator doors. They lit up as the elevator reached each floor. He only had two floors to go, but he couldn't wait. His mind was racing with what the envelope might contain. He couldn't decide if he hoped there were more pictures or not.

"You seem nervous," Casey commented.

Booth glanced over at her. She was leaning against the back of the elevator with her arms folded across her chest. It was a very nonchalant stance, as if she didn't care at all as to what was about to happen. It made Booth angry.

"I just want to see that envelope," Booth replied.

"It's nothing to be ashamed about," Casey said.

"What would I be ashamed about?" Booth questioned.

"You're nervous about the envelope. You don't know what the contents of the envelope are and you're torn somewhere in between hoping they're photographs so that you can know for sure if they are actually of your partner and not wanting to see more photographs because you don't want to see those kinds of images."

Booth found her analysis completely accurate, but incredibly annoying. "First of all," he said. "I know those pictures were of Bones. Second of all, don't psychoanalyze me."

"I can't help it. You wear your heart on your sleeve, Agent Booth. It's very refreshing to see a man who wears his heart on his sleeve."

The elevator doors opened.

"I just want to find my partner," Booth stated as he practically ran down another agent who was standing outside the door, waiting to get on the elevator. Booth raced down the hall towards his office. He barreled through the door and was at his desk in only a few steps. The envelope was ready and waiting on his desk, taunting him. Just like the last envelope, it was the same size, manila, and had the same words written on it. Booth was no handwriting expert, but he guessed the handwriting was different.

"Gloves, Agent Booth. Make sure you wear gloves. We don't want to…"

"This isn't my first case, Agent Temple. I work with squints. I know how important it is to wear gloves."

"How many times do I have to tell you to call me Casey?"

Booth opened his desk drawer and took out two pairs of latex gloves. He handed one of the pairs to Casey. They each pulled them on quickly. Booth sat down at his desk and stared at the envelope momentarily before picking it up. He opened the clasp carefully and reached his hand inside the envelope.

"It's not photographs," he said.

"What is it?"

Booth pulled his hand out of the envelope. In his hand was a CD inside a plastic case.

"It's a CD," Booth answered.

He examined it carefully. The CD was ordinary, like any other CD that someone could burn music or documents on. The CD and case were both unmarked.

"Why would he send us a CD?" Casey asked.

"He always sent a video of his victims after they had been killed on a CD."

Booth's stomach dropped as he stared at the CD. He wasn't sure if he could watch it.

"It might not be a video," Casey said, trying to sound hopeful.

Making up his mind, Booth pressed a button on his computer, causing the CD drive to pop out. He took the CD out of the case and put it gently into the CD drive. He had never treated a CD with such care. He didn't want to risk losing anything that the CD might hold.

"Agent Booth…"

The media player on Booth's computer came up automatically.

"It is a video," Booth interrupted.

At first all they could see was a blank, black screen, but eventually the video started. The image Booth saw made his stomach churn. The first thing he saw was Brennan in the center of the screen. The video matched the photographs he had seen with only one difference. There was no bag over her head. He knew it was her. Brennan's wrists were bound together above her body with some type of wire. Her feet barely touched the floor. She was mostly hanging from her wrists. Her eyes were closed and her head was drooped to the side. She was wearing the same potato sack like dress that Booth had seen in the pictures. Her body was covered in bruises. There was blood pooling on the floor beneath her.

"Agent Booth," Casey said. "Maybe you shouldn't…"

Casey went to turn off the video, but Booth reached for her hand, stopping her. He hated what he was seeing, but he couldn't stop watching it.

The video focused on Bones just hanging there for over a minute. She never moved. After what felt like a lifetime, a figure came into the shot and approached Brennan. Booth never saw the figure's face, but he knew it was a man. As he got closer to Brennan, he slapped her hard across the face. Brennan moaned. Booth couldn't help but gasp. His blood was boiling.

"Agent Booth, I…"

"Don't."

Casey grew silent as she and Booth continued to watch. The man picked up a pair of wire cutters nearby and cut the wire that was holding Brennan up. She felt to the floor loudly. Booth could hear her cry out in pain. Tears pricked his eyes as he watched her immediately curl into the fetal position.

Booth continued to watch as the man kicked Brennan in the stomach. With one hand, he held her still bound wrists above her head and crawled on top of her. The man used his free hand to grope her body and push the dress up and over her thighs. Brennan kicked in response, but she was only met with another blow to the stomach. The next thing Booth heard was the sound of a zipper being pulled down. The man forced Brennan's legs apart and she cried out.

"No!" Booth called out even though he knew his words meant nothing.

"Alright, that's enough," Casey said, turning the video off.

Booth sat there, staring at the computer. His heart was racing. He could feel the blood running through his veins. His fists curled and uncurled on his lap. The image of what he had seen was burned into his mind. He couldn't stop thinking about the man's hands on Bones and the sound of her voice as she cried out.

Booth stood up. He had only one thing in his mind. He needed vengeance.

"Agent Booth…"

Booth grabbed the computer monitor with both hands and threw it across the room. It hit the opposite wall and crashed to the floor. Instead of looking scared or startled, Casey stood completely still. She looked at Booth's face and felt her own heart break. She had never met Dr. Brennan and barely knew Booth, but she saw everything about them in his face.

Booth made his way to the door. He stopped before walking out.

"Get the CD to the Jeffersonian." His face was deadpan, but his voice was strong. He was leaving no room for argument in what he was saying. He didn't even bother to look at Casey when he spoke. He only looked at the floor.

"I will," Casey said.

"Have them analyze it and see if we can find any information about where he's holding her."

"I'm going to have to send it to the FBI lab, too. I know you think your people are the best, but…"

"They are the best." Booth took a deep breath. "Fine, let the FBI guys look at it if you want, but can we…can we keep this between as few people as possible? I don't want…I don't want everyone to know what…"

"You have my word," Casey said.

"Call me if you find anything."

Booth walked out. He couldn't take it anymore. He wanted to be there. He knew he should be there to look at the evidence. He knew he should watch the video over and over again until he found some evidence that would help him find her, but he couldn't. He couldn't make himself watch it again. He had to step back and let someone else take the lead. He only hoped Brennan would forgive him for failing her.

Author's Note: Ok, so I know this chapter might have been tough to read. I tried to make it intense without being graphic. I want to especially thank everyone for the amazing reviews from the last chapter. I was having a particularly bad day when I posted that chapter and reading those reviews really made me happy. Thank you!


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

She felt nothing. Not pain. Not fear. Not hope. She was numb to everything. She knew he was there. She was waiting for another blow. She was waiting for another violation of her body. She was just waiting, wondering if she could hold on, wondering if she wanted to hold on.

Friday

2:02 PM

Casey found Booth sitting alone on the steps of the Lincoln memorial. Even from several yards away, she could tell that he looked like hell. If it wasn't for the fact that he was wearing a rather expensive suit, Casey easily could have passed him and thought he was homeless. His clothes were wrinkled, his face drained of color. He had dark circles under his eyes and he simply looked defeated. Casey shook her head, as she watched him put his head in his hands. Dozens of people swarmed nearby, going up and down the steps to look at the monument of the great president. Booth was ignoring the throngs of people. It's as if they didn't exist and he was in his own world.

Casey simply watched him. She barely knew him, but she understood him and the pain he was in. Sighing, she crossed the street and stopped at the bottom of the steps. She looked at him and shook her head again. She had always been good at separating her job from her emotions, but that was proving to be difficult. It was impossible to look at him and not feel emotional.

"Are you going to stand there and stare at me all afternoon or are you going to tell me what you found?" Booth asked.

Casey was surprised that Booth had even seen her. He looked as if he weren't really seeing anything at all. She had learned, though, in the short time she had known him, that he was a surprising man.

"How did you know I was here?" She asked as she climbed the steps to join him.

"I'm an FBI agent, remember?"

She sat down next to him. "Right."

They sat beside each other in silence. Booth desperately wanted to know if she had found anything from the tape, but he didn't ask. He was too afraid the answer would be no and they would be back to having nothing. He picked up a coffee cup that was on the step beside him and sipped it. He was running on pure caffeine, but it didn't seem to be working anymore. He felt completely and utterly exhausted in every sense of the word.

"How did you find me?" Booth asked.

"I'm an FBI agent, remember?" Normally, Booth would have laughed, but he didn't. "Actually I've been spending a lot of time with your…squints? Isn't that what you call them?" Booth nodded. "Angela said you might be there."

"Angela doesn't constitute as a squint. She's the only normal person there."

"Yeah, I did notice that. She doesn't exactly fit in with the others."

"She keeps them sane. She keeps us all sane."

"I think you all keep each other sane." She paused. "So why here? Why did you choose to come here?"

Booth shrugged. "It's peaceful here."

"Peaceful? Have you noticed all the people here? They're not even people. They're tourists. They're so much worse than normal people."

Booth didn't even smile even though he usually enjoyed tourist jokes.

"There are a lot of people, but…it's still peaceful. It's my favorite place in the whole city. Being here reminds me of why I do what I do. Why I fight for justice in the first place. And…" He didn't finish.

"And?"

"Bones always liked it here."

"Then she's got good taste because so do I."

They fell into silence once again. Finally, Booth just had to know.

"Did you find anything?" He asked.

Casey took a deep breath as she thought about how she was going to answer that question. She knew he wanted to know about the tapes, but she wasn't sure if he was ready to hear about them. She couldn't imagine how difficult it must have been for him to watch them. Watching it was difficult enough for her.

"I know this isn't exactly what you want to hear, but we're still going over some of the same evidence. Dr. Hodgins has been looking at the second envelope you were sent, but he hasn't found anything significant. The envelope is generic and, according to his handwriting expert friend, the mailing label was written by a different person than the first, which fits in with our theory that Brown has someone else writing the labels for him. Dr. Sweets thinks it's all a way for him to remain anonymous even though he knows that we know it's him. Dr. Hodgins has also been going over the fibers taken from the car, but we're still waiting for some results. Dr. Saroyan has been reviewing the autopsies if the coroners' bodies, but it looks like they were just victims of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. She has some of Dr. Brennan's students going over the burned exhumed victim, but…"

"Still nothing," Booth finished.

"Still nothing," Casey agreed.

"But you know that's not what I was asking about."

"I know."

"What about the tape? Did they find anything on the tape?"

"I had some of my guys at the FBI crime lab analyze them. They didn't find anything."

"Of course they didn't. Because Collin Brown is smart and he's had years to plan this. He's toying with me and he's winning."

"He hasn't won yet. Dr. Brennan is still alive. That's all that matters."

"She was alive when that tape was made. We don't know if she's still alive now." He choked back a sob. "I'm going to find her, Casey. No matter what. I'm going to bring her home."

"I know and we're all going to help you. Angela is taking a look at the tapes as we speak. You said your team is the best. Now is their chance to prove it. Maybe she can find something that my team couldn't."

"Angela's looking at the tapes? She shouldn't be looking at them. Bones is her friend and…Angela's too…human to look at those tapes."

"She offered."

"Angela offered to look at something disturbing? That doesn't sound like her."

"Maybe not, but she's loyal. Those people in that lab love you and Dr. Brennan. I've never seen people work together the way you do."

"We make a good team." Booth took another sip of his coffee. "I'm sorry about…earlier. About yelling at you in the lab…about the computer and…walking out."

"You don't need to apologize."

"Usually I'm more…put together than this."

"Considering the circumstances, I think you're very put together," Casey said, smiling. She reached over and put her hand on his arm, patting it softly. "Can I ask you a question?" She removed her hand from his arm.

"Sure."

"How long have you been in love with your partner?"

Booth looked over at her sharply. He had never quite been asked that question in such a point blank manor and it shocked him.

"Excuse me?"

"How long have you been in love with Dr. Brennan?" Casey asked.

"Bones and I are just partners."

"That's not what I asked." Booth didn't respond. He concentrated on his coffee cup. "I'm not asking whether or not you have a physical relationship."

"We don't," he said quickly.

"Maybe not, but I saw your face when you watched that tape. I watched you throw a computer monitor across the room."

"That's nothing. I once shot a clown because the music was annoying me," Booth replied.

"A clown?"

"Not a real clown."

"Ok, so maybe you have an anger management problem, but you still haven't answered my question."

Booth took a deep breath. He could have lied. He could have told her that he had no idea what she was talking about, but he was tired of denying it.

"From the beginning," Booth answered. "I've loved her from the beginning." It felt good to say it out loud.

"And you haven't told her?" Booth shook his head. "Why?"

Booth smiled as he thought about Bones.

"You don't know Bones. She doesn't believe in love. If I told her, she'd run."

"You don't know that for sure."

"Yes I do."

"Nobody can really know what a person will do when we profess our feelings for them. Maybe she'd surprise you."

"Maybe, but telling her how I really feel…wasn't worth the risk."

"You're speaking in the past tense. Does that mean you think it's worth the risk now?"

Booth looked back down at his coffee. Tears were threatening to spill from his eyes once again. He couldn't let them. He needed to be strong.

"I don't even know if I'll ever have the chance to take that risk," Booth said.

"We'll find her," Casey replied.

"Everyone keeps seeing that, but they don't know. You don't know that she's still alive."

"You're right, but I have faith. In this line of work, Agent Booth, you need faith."

"I have faith."

"Then have faith that she won't run. Have faith to tell her how you feel."

"You're a very interesting person, Agent Temple."

"Casey. Please call me Casey. My father was Agent Temple. I'm just Casey."

Booth nodded. "Ok Casey."

"What do you love about her?"

"Excuse me?"

"What do you love about her?" She repeated.

"Are you always this up front with people?"

"When I want to be. I have a master in psychology, Agent Booth. Just like your Dr. Sweets, I'm pretty good at reading people. So, what do you love about her?"

Booth shook his head, almost laughing. He didn't know Casey at all. As matter of fact, he had done everything he could not to get to know her. He was determined from the start not to like her, but he wasn't so sure how he felt anymore. She was able to read him like an open book and she surprisingly felt like someone he could talk to.

"Everything," he answered. "I love everything about her. She's incredibly smart…almost annoyingly so." They both smiled. "She's not afraid to let you know that she's smarter than you and she doesn't understand social cues. She hasn't seen a TV show in ten years. Hell, she doesn't even own a TV. Not to mention that she's way too open about certain topics and she doesn't believe in love or religion or marriage or any of the things the rest of us just accept as parts of our lives and she loves to argue about the stupidest things, but…" He paused, feeling another set of tears threatening to fall.

"But?"

"But as annoying and argumentative as she can be, she's also beautiful and she has the most amazing laugh and…I love when her eyes sparkle when she's looking at a set of bones like it's the most beautiful diamond in the world. She's a constant surprise in every sense of the word. And the two of us we…we argue, we clash, we can't make it through a day without jumping down each other's throats, but we click. We click more than I've ever clicked with anyone in my entire life. I need her. I love her with every ounce of my being."

Booth finally stopped, realizing that he had said out loud what he had been thinking in his head for so long. It was a relief getting it all out in the open, but it was scary at the same time. It scared him just how much ne needed her.

"She sounds like an amazing woman."

"She's more than amazing," Booth replied.

"You should tell her. Tell her what you told me. Except you might want to leave out the annoying part. Women don't like to hear that they're annoying."

He smiled. "I'll keep that in mind."

"You should go home. Get some sleep..."

"I already slept today."

"Then eat something. Shower. Watch TV. Do something other than think about this case." She stood up. "You look like hell."

Booth couldn't help but smile as Casey made her way down the steps. He downed the rest of his coffee as his cell phone rang. He was almost tired of hearing his phone. Somehow every time his phone rang, nothing good happened.

"Booth," he said answering his phone.

"It's Angela. We've got something."

Booth immediately hung up his phone and began sprinting down the steps.

"Casey!" He shouted. She stopped and turned to look at him. "We're going to the lab."

"You need to go home…"

"They found something."

Casey nodded. "Let's go."

Author's Note: I apologize for leaving this at sort of a cliffhanger (well, I'm not really that sorry because I do love building suspense). A lot of people commented that they didn't like Casey. I hope maybe you're beginning to warm up to her. Thanks for reading! Please review!


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Time passed. She knew he had left, but she also knew he would come back. That's what scared her the most. She heard a faint noise. It was footsteps. Holding her breath, she silently hoped that he wasn't coming back. She wasn't sure if she would make it if he came back. She concentrated, and realized that the footsteps were further away than if he was in the same room with her. Finally, she realized that the footsteps were above her. She let out her breath and tried to think. If someone were above her, would she be able to get their attention? Would she be able to get help?

Friday

2:49 PM

Booth and Casey stormed into the lab. For once, she was in step with him rather than chasing behind. He always seemed to be trying to leave her behind, but since their chat at the Lincoln memorial, he had a new appreciation for Casey and he respected her as the leader of the investigation. Not to mention Casey was just as eager to find out what Angela had found as Booth was.

They both approached the lab platform. Not caring about the security measures, Booth took the steps two at a time onto the platform. As soon as he crossed the invisible security line, the security alarm and lights started going off. Booth ignored it and walked over to Angela and Hodgins.

"Shouldn't somebody take care of that?" Casey asked as she covered her ears from the sound of the alarm. She didn't let the alarm keep her from joining Booth on the platform.

"You know security hates when you do that," Cam said as she approached the platform. She swiped her badge to make the lights and alarm stop going off.

"This was an emergency," Booth replied.

Cam walked up onto the platform.

"So, what have we got?" Cam asked.

"That's what I'd like to know," Booth replied.

"I found something…in the video," Angela said.

Booth noticed how shaky her voice was. Hodgins' arm was immediately around her shoulders. Booth knew how difficult it was for Angela to have watched the video. He silently thanked her for being so brave.

"What did you find?" Casey questioned.

Angela typed something into the computer. A still image from the video Booth had been sent appeared on the screen. Brennan was lying on the floor with the man over her, holding her hands above her head. Even though the image was still, Booth knew what was happening to her in that moment, and it killed him.

"I reviewed the video over and over," Angela began. "The one thing I noticed was her hands."

Angela pressed a button and the screen zoomed in to focus just on her bound hands.

"Her hands?" Booth asked.

"Watch," Angela replied.

She started the video in slow motion, keeping the screen zoomed in on her hands. The man's hand that was clasped around her wrists eventually began to move down her arms, knowing he had her subdued. Booth watched her hands intently, but saw nothing. They were completely still and he had to wonder if being strung up by her wrists had caused her to have no function in her hands at all.

"Angela, what are we…" Cam began to ask.

Then it happened. Brennan's pinky finger on her right hand began to move slowly. Of course Booth knew they were watching the video in slow motion, but it seemed like her finger was moving agonizingly slow. After watching the video in slow motion for about sixty seconds, which was probably only fifteen seconds of the video, the video stopped and the screen turned black.

"That's it?" Booth asked.

"That's it," Angela answered. "That's the end of the tape."

"So what exactly are we supposed to be looking at?" Booth questioned.

"Her finger," Hodgins answered.

"Her finger?" Casey wondered.

"What does her finger prove? We already knew she was still alive!" Booth couldn't keep the anger out of his voice. He knew everyone was doing everything they could to find Brennan, but he had gotten his hopes up. He was hoping that whatever Angela had found would help find Brennan. He knew she was running out of time. "Who cares about her pinky finger?!"

"It's Morse code," Hodgins stated.

"What?" Casey responded.

"I found it strange that with…everything going on, she'd be moving her pinky finger for a full fifteen seconds when she hadn't been moving it at all before," Angela explained. "So, I called in Hodgins to take a look."

"And I remembered learning Morse code in boy scouts when I was a kid," Hodgins stated. "I recognized her finger as a series of dots and dashes, just like Morse code."

"You were a boy scout?" Cam asked.

"My dad made me," Hodgins responded. "He felt that I needed more…"

"Hodgins!" Booth said, cutting him off. "If it's Morse code, what is she saying?"

"I don't know," Hodgins admitted. "I never did earn my Morse code badge. We've been trying to figure it out. We looked it up online, but it's difficult to tell the difference between dots and dashes. We've got a specialist coming in from…"

"Play it at full speed," Casey interrupted.

"What?" Angela asked.

"Play the video at full speed," Casey repeated.

With the image still fixated on her hands, Angela backed up the video and played it again at full speed.

"C. P…no, R. Wait…

"You know Morse code?" Cam questioned.

"Girl Scouts. I did earn my Morse code badge," Casey replied. "Pause the video and play it again," Casey said.

Angela stopped the video, rewound it, and played it again. Casey was silent as she concentrated on Brennan's finger. Everyone else kept their eyes on Casey.

"Again," she said when the video was over. Angela played it again.

"C. R. It's definitely a R. E…. E." She paused. "Play it again."

Booth was getting anxious. He couldn't stand the wait. He clenched and unclenched his fists every time Casey spoke. He just wanted the answer. He wanted to know what Brennan was trying to tell them.

"Maybe we should wait for the specialist," Cam suggested as Angela played the tape again.

"Every minute we waste is a minute she's there," Booth stated through gritted teeth.

"One more time," Casey said. She took a step closer to the TV and began to tap her index finger on the table in front of her along with Brennan's finger on the computer screen.

"C. R. E. E. P. Y. M. A." she read.

"What does that mean?" Angela asked.

"Creepy," Booth answered.

"Creepy?" Cam responded.

"That was our nickname for Collin Brown," Booth answered. "Bones is telling us that she was kidnapped by Collin Brown."

"We already knew that," Hodgins commented.

"Yeah, but she didn't know that we knew that," Booth said. He felt like punching something. They were right back where they started. They knew nothing.

"What about the rest of it?" Cam questioned. "What does the M A stand for?"

"Massachusetts?" Angela offered.

"He doesn't have any ties to Massachusetts," Casey stated. "I don't think that's what it means."

"It looks like she was cut off by the end of the video," Hodgins said. "Maybe there was more."

"So we're back at square one," Cam stated, sighing.

"Is there any other time in the video that she uses Morse code?" Booth asked.

Angela shook her head. "We went over ever millisecond of the video. There's nothing else."

"What about the audio?" Casey questioned.

"A bunch of scrambled sounds. I can take a closer listen and see if I can pick out any distinct sounds."

"I'd appreciate that," Casey said.

"I'll be in my office," Angela responded.

"I'll be helping her," Hodgins said.

"Me too," Cam replied. "Three pairs of eyes are better than two."

"Cam, you've been here more than thirty hours," Booth said. "Go home."

"You haven't gone home."

"She's my partner."

"And she's my friend," Cam stated.

Booth nodded. "Thanks."

Cam squeezed his hand before leaving the platform. As soon as she was gone, Booth turned to Casey.

"Why didn't your people catch this?" Booth asked.

"Excuse me?"

"You sent the tape to the FBI crime lab. Why didn't your people catch the Morse code?"

"My people? Last I checked, you worked for the FBI too."

"And I told you to send the video to the Jeffersonian! You insisted on giving it to the FBI! And what have they done? Absolutely nothing! My people are the only ones who have found anything!"

"Because it's personal to them. Think about how much harder you work when it's someone you…" Booth glared at her, telling her not to reveal the secret he had told her earlier. "Care about."

"I work hard on all of my cases!"

"And so do they, but as you pointed out, you know Dr. Brennan. You and your team know her better than anybody else. You know how smart she is. You know she would find some way to tell you how to find her! Why do you think I've continued to let you and your team stay on this case?"

Booth sat down in the chair Angela had been occupying in defeat.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"We're all under a lot of stress."

"I just wish we had more to go on."

"I've talked to Agent Woods about how these envelopes have been getting into the Hoover building and onto your desk."

"And?"

"We can't figure out how they've been getting into the mail room."

"It could be someone on the inside?"

"Possibly. Or if someone drops them in a mailbox right outside the building, they'd get delivered to the FBI even without a complete address. All we do know is that the envelopes have come straight from the mail room. I have Agent Woods and other agents interrogating every person who works in the mail room."

"I doubt they'll find anything. Creepy's too smart for that."

Casey shrugged. She knew he was probably right, but it was still worth looking into.

"What do you think MA means?" Casey asked.

"What?"

"The Morse code said Creepy and then MA. You know Dr. Brennan better than anybody. So what does MA mean?"

Booth shook his head. "I have no idea."

"Could they be initials?"

"It doesn't ring a bell from Collin Brown's file."

"What about to Dr. Brennan? Does she know anyone with the initials MA?"

Booth tried to think back about anyone Bones might have ever mentioned. He was so exhausted, he couldn't think.

"I don't know. I don't think Bones ever mentioned anyone with those initials."

"Why do you call her Bones?" Casey asked.

Booth was surprised by her question. He shrugged. "Because she works with bones."

"So? We work with criminals, but I wouldn't want people referring to me as Criminal."

"First of all, it's not people who refer to Bones as Bones. It's me. Just me."

"So it's like a pet name?"

Booth shifted uncomfortable. "You know, I would appreciate if what we talked about earlier stays between us."

"Of course. I was just…curious."

"Bones just…fit, you know. Temperance was too long and Brennan was too formal so it's just Bones. It's always been that way."

"But she calls you Booth, right? Isn't that too formal?"

"That's because I don't like my first name."

"So, does that mean I shouldn't start calling you Seeley?"

"Not unless you want me to go back to calling you Agent Temple."

"Point taken."

"So, Casey…where do you want to go from here?" Booth asked.

"You're asking me?"

"You're the one in charge, aren't you?"

She nodded. "Well, we wait to see if Angela can find anything in the audio. In the meantime, I think we should go back through Collin Brown's file to see if we can find anything connected to MA."

"I left his file in Bones' office."

"Then let's start reading."

They both left the platform and walked over to Brennan's empty office. Booth led the way, feeling more comfortable about invading Brennan's space. He grabbed the file off Brennan's desk and brought it over to the couch where Casey was sitting. He laid it out on the coffee table.

"Let's assume that video cut out before Dr. Brennan could spell out an entire word. Therefore, we're looking for any word beginning with the letters MA," Casey said.

Booth separated the file into two halves. He gave half to Casey and took half for himself. Propping his feet up on the coffee table, he settled in to read the file yet again. His eyes skimmed over the words of the file, but he couldn't help but think back to the last day he had spent with Bones. He thought about the cemetery, the diner, the parking lot. Booth jolted upwards.

"The parking lot," he said.

"What?"

"The parking lot."

"What are you talking about?"

"Collin Brown's old house was turned into a…"

Hodgins and Angela burst into Brennan's office.

"We think we know where she is," Hodgins exclaimed.

"So do I," Booth replied, standing.

"Where do you think?" Hodgins asked.

"No, you tell us what you found first," Booth insisted.

As much as Booth was sure he was right, he needed more than just his gut. He needed evidence if he was going to get his hopes up of finding Brennan.

"Wait, will somebody please tell me what's going on?" Casey asked.

"I was able to separate the audio," Angela explained as she parked herself at Brennan's computer. Within seconds, she had her audio program up and running. "I was able to eliminate Brennan and Creepy's voices and amplify the background noise."

"Which was what?" Casey questioned.

"Pretty much a whole lot of scrambled nothing," Hodgins answered.

"So how do you know where she is?" Casey wondered, still feeling like she was in the dark.

"I was able to pinpoint a specific sound," Angela explained. She clicked the mouse and a tapping sound came from the speakers.

"What is that?" Casey asked.

"Footsteps," Booth stated.

"So? Someone else was walking in the room?" Casey questioned.

"No," Angela answered. "Someone was walking above her. A lot of someones actually."

"So? She's in a basement of some kind?" Casey guessed.

"Yes," Angela said.

"How can we found out which basement?" Casey asked.

"If you listen to the footsteps, there are several distinct sets. One caused by a set of high heels. Another caused by flip flops and another caused by a pair of stiletto boots," Angela explained.

"She's good," Casey commented.

"You have no idea," Angela replied, smiling. "Anyway, the sounds of these steps aren't just people walking around. They're people, woman most likely, based on the type of shoes, walking in a back and forth pattern"

"Why would women be walking in a back and forth pattern?" Casey questioned.

"What's the first thing you do when you try on a new pair of shoes?" Angela asked.

Casey's eyes widened as if the light bulb had gone off above her head. "Walk back and forth in the store," Casey answered.

"Exactly."

"So she's under a shoe store?"

"She's at the mall," Booth stated. He felt a surge of energy rush through him. They knew where she was. He only hope they weren't too late.

"MA," Casey said. "She was trying to spell mall."

Booth took his phone out of his pocket and speed dialed the FBI building, ready to call for backup.

"Collin Brown's home was turned into a shopping mall. He took her home," Booth explained.

"Let's go," Casey said. Booth was already halfway out the door.

Author's Note: So, it's less than an hour until Bones (at least for us East Coast folks) and, I'm not going to lie, I'm excited! I hope this chapter will enhance your Bones fix for the night! Thank you for reading!


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

She called out, but nothing happened. The footsteps eventually stopped. She felt defeated. She couldn't focus. She could barely breathe. She knew she had to hold on. She knew he would rescue her. He always had. She only wondered if she could stay alive long enough for him to find her. She felt herself slipping away. She couldn't hold on any longer.

Friday

3:36 PM

Booth's foot tapped against the floor of the car uncontrollably. He had tried to talk Casey into letting him drive, even going so far as to yell at her, but she was behind the wheel. The car sped down the crowded street with the siren blaring and the red and blue lights blinking. Booth glanced in the rearview mirror and saw the half dozen SWAT cars that were following them. Booth had insisted on leaving the minute it had been confirmed that Brennan was being held below the mall, but Casey made them way until they could get back-up. He knew she was right in wanting to wait, but he wanted to get there. He needed to see Bones. He needed to hold her in his arms. He needed to know if she was still alive.

Casey glanced over at Booth. She noticed his shaking leg, but chose not to say anything about it. She knew he was nervous. She knew he was about to come face to face with his worst nightmare. Casey turned the wheel hard to the left and the car turned the corner. Booth could see the mall in front of them. As they approached it, he saw that the parking lots were fairly crowded. There were dozens if not hundreds of shoppers inside the mall. None of them knew about the horrors going on below the stores.

Casey pulled the car into the parking lot with the SWAT cars right behind her. She slammed on the breaks in front of the main entrance to the mall. The cars surrounded her, blocking the entrance and the road. Casey and Booth both got out of the car, not bothering to shut their car doors. While the members of the SWAT team disbanded to get into position, Booth headed for the door that led into the mall, but Casey grabbed his arm.

"We have to get her!" He shouted.

"Not without taking some precautions," she replied calmly.

Casey popped the trunk of the car. She reached into the trunk and took out two bullet poof vests. She handed one to Booth.

"We are wasting time," he snarled, not taking the vest. "If he knows we're here, he could be…he could kill her."

"I am not going to risk losing one of my people because we're rushing into this. We will find her."

Booth took the vest and quickly put it on. A man, dressed in a pair of blue work overalls, came out of the mall.

"Agent Temple?" The man asked, looking at Casey. "I'm Steve Wright, the head of maintenance at the mall. We spoke on the phone. I'm still a little confused as to what's going on." He eyed the SWAT vehicles as if he were afraid.

"Mr. Wright, does this mall have a basement?"

"Sure. We keep the boilers and things down there. It runs only under a few stores."

"Are any of those stores shoe stores?" Casey asked.

"No ma'am."

"What?" Booth responded, suddenly panicked.

"We've got two shoe stores in the mall. Ones on the East side and the others on the North. The basement is on the West side."

Booth sighed, tears springing to his eyes. He had never been much of a crier, but he couldn't help it. He felt defeated all over again. They hadn't found her.

"We were wrong. She's not here."

"Which stores does the basement run under?" Casey asked, not ready to give up.

"A book store, a jewelry store, and Macys."

"Macys sell shoes," Casey stated.

Booth's tears suddenly disappeared as a sense of hope overwhelmed him. He knew there was a chance that they were too late, but he still had faith.

"How do we access the basement?" Booth questioned.

"There's access from inside the mall."

"Take us there," Booth said, already walking inside.

Casey stayed put and addressed the remaining SWAT team members that hadn't moved into a hidden position, ready to take out Collin Brown.

"I want every exit of this mall sealed off. Nobody goes in or out until you hear from me. You, you, and you," she said, pointing to three members of the SWAT team. "Come with me."

She didn't wait for a response before pulling on her own bullet proof vest and running into the mall. The two officers she had pointed to followed close behind. They caught up with Booth and Wright just as they stopped in front of a door that Casey wouldn't even have noticed existed. It was painted the same color as the wall.

"Who has access to this door?" Casey asked.

"Any of the maintenance workers," Wright answered.

"Nobody else?" Casey questioned.

"Maybe the director of the mall, I guess."

"How easy would it be for someone to get their hands on one of those keys?"

"Every maintenance worker has to hand in their keys at the end of their shift."

"Casey…" Booth said impatiently.

She held up her index finger, signaling to him that he had to be patient just a minute longer.

"Come to think of it, though one of our guys reported his keys missing a few days ago."

"How many days ago?" Casey asked.

Wright thought about it. "He reported it Wednesday afternoon."

Casey gave Booth a knowing look. Wednesday afternoon was when Collin Brown had been released.

"How often does someone go down into the basement?" Casey wondered.

"Not often. We only go down if there's a problem with the boilers or for scheduled maintenance."

"Has there been any problems or scheduled maintenance recently?" Casey questioned. She noticed Booth shuffling from foot to foot. She could tell he was anxious to break down the door.

"Not for a few weeks at least."

"Is there any security at the mall, Mr. Wright?"

"During the day we have on guard on duty. With all the local teenagers, Friday and Saturday nights, we've got two guards on duty."

"What about after hours?"

Wright shrugged. "We used to have a night guard, but with budget cuts, we only have a cop drive by every few hours or so. We've never had a problem before. Can I ask what this is about?"

He noticed Booth take out his gun.

"Mr. Wright, I'm going to ask you to unlock the door and then step back. Do not go anywhere near the door," Casey instructed as she took out her gun.

"Am I in some kind of danger?"

"No. Just stay back, sir."

With shaking hands, he took a set of keys from his belt loop and began to fumble through the many keys on the ring. Casey put her hand on Booth's arm and pulled him away slightly.

"You don't have to go," she said.

"Excuse me?"

"You don't have to go. I can take the SWAT team down with me."

"This is my partner we're talking about."

"I know. But I also know it won't be easy for you to see Dr. Brennan in the condition that she may be in and…"

"I'm going," he said. "I'm bringing her home."

She nodded in understanding.

"Get some guys in here to block off this area," she commanded to the SWAT team. One of the members got on his radio and asked for more backup.

"It's unlocked," Wright said.

"Alright. Here we go," Casey said.

She went to step forward to go through the door, but Booth stepped in front of her. She knew as head of the investigation, she should be going down the steps first to make the hard decisions that might have to be made, but she let Booth take the lead. She knew he needed to be the one to find her.

Casey took her gun out of its holster while Booth took his position at the side of the door. Six SWAT team members arrived, blocking off the area as Casey had instructed. The original three members of the SWAT team stood behind Casey with guns ready. Casey reached for the door handle. She looked at Booth and he nodded. She threw the door open and Booth stepped onto the steps. He slowly made his way down the steps, trying to make as little noise as possible. He allowed his eyes to adjust to the darkness. He would have preferred to use a flashlight, but he knew that wasn't an option. If Collin Brown saw light, he might kill Bones and that definitely wasn't an option.

Booth crept down the stairs, knowing Casey and the SWAT team were right behind him. He got to the bottom of the steps and immediately put his back to the wall. He knew the most important element of staying alive was always making sure you knew what was behind you. Booth looked left and then right. He couldn't see much in either direction. Knowing he was going to have to rely on his gut, he chose to walk to the left. He slinked along the wall, keeping his gun in front of him at all times.

Booth stayed against the wall until he came to one of the boilers Wright had mentioned. Using it as cover, he glanced around it. He motioned with his arms to Casey that he was going to venture away from the wall. He knew moving made him an easy target, but he had no other choice. She nodded and he took a few steps away from the wall.

With his eyes finally adjusted to the dark, Booth could make out several more boilers in the middle of the room as well as storage boxes, some pieces of plywood leaned against the opposite wall, and a few crates of tools. Nothing looked out of place or out of the ordinary. It looked like a normal basement. With every step he took, Booth's heart began to sink more and more. Maybe they had been wrong. Maybe she wasn't there.

Booth was about to move on to the other side of the room when he realized he didn't hear the footsteps of Casey behind him. He slowly turned around. She was standing several feet behind him, holding something in her hands. Booth got closer so he could see what she was holding up. It was a pair of blue overalls, just like the ones Wright was wearing. Both Booth and Casey knew immediately how Collin Brown had gotten into the basement. He had dressed like a maintenance worker, stolen the keys, broken into the mall, and taken Brennan down to the basement in the middle of the night when no one was around.

Casey pointed in the other direction and Booth nodded. The SWAT team members hung back, waiting to jump to action when necessary. Booth started walking to the other side of the stairs when something caught the corner of his eye. It was something shiny. He looked at it straight on, trying to get a better view. It was wire.

"Bones," he whispered.

One end of the wire he saw was hanging from the ceiling. Brennan's wrists were tied to the other end. Just like in the video, she was hanging from her wrists. He hesitated, simply staring at her. Her body was in worse shape than he could ever have imagined. Every inch of her skin was covered in dirt, bruises, and blood. Her head hung in front of her. Her closed eyes were barely visible.

Without thinking, Booth dropped his gun and raced across the room. His breath came out in short gasps as he put his hand on her cheek. Her skin was cold and clammy. He put one arm around her, holding her up, trying to take some of the weight off her wrists. He could hear Casey saying something to him, but he couldn't comprehend a thing. All he could see was Bones.

"I need wire cutters. Scissors. Anything," he commanded.

Casey glanced around. She knew they were breaking protocol. The area still hadn't been secured, but she no longer cared about protocol.

"Cover us," she said to the SWAT team.

Still holding her gun out and ready, Casey went back to the other side of the basement and grabbed one of the crates of tools. She carried it over to Booth. She rummaged through the crate, trying to find something Booth could use to cut the wire. She could hear him talking to her. He was barely audible, but she could hear him telling her to hold on.

"Casey, I need something now," he said with a shaky voice.

Casey threw the crate aside and raced to the stairs. She bolted up the steps. As she came to the doorway, she was met with the guns from the SWAT team. They quickly stood down when they saw who it was.

"I need wire cutters," she commanded.

"I have some in my office," Wright replied.

"Get them. Now. Hurry."

Booth was trying to hold Brennan as carefully as he could. He could see the bruises. He knew she had to have broken bones. He didn't want to cause her any more damage or pain. He looked at her bruised face. He whispered her name, but there was no response. He hadn't checked. He hadn't checked for a pulse because he wasn't sure what he would do if he didn't find one. He didn't know if she was dead or alive.

"I've got some wire cutters," Casey said, racing down the steps.

"Cut her down. I've got her."

Casey approached Brennan's body, but realized quickly that she was too short. She ran over to the crate she had tossed aside, turned it upside-down, and stepped onto it. She lined up the wire between the teeth of the wire cutters and pressed down. Brennan's body fell into Booth's arms. He held onto her, lowering her slowly to the floor. He cradled her head, brushing the hair away from her face.

"Is she…" Casey began.

"Get the medics," Booth replied. He surprised himself with how calm he was being when inside he felt like he wanted to rip something to shreds and lay down on the floor and sob at the same time.

One of the SWAT team radioed in for a medic. Casey knelt down beside Booth as he reached for her neck, searching for a pulse.

Author's Note: Ok, so I know you all have been waiting a while for this. I've been struggling with writing this chapter mainly because I couldn't decide if it was too early for Booth to find Bones, but I'm finally happy with it and I can tell you that there is a lot more to come!


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Friday

3:52 PM

"She's alive," Booth said, barely above a whisper. He was sitting beside her, her head resting on his leg. He put his hand against a deep cut that was still oozing blood from her forearm. He was trying to stop the bleeding by putting pressure on it. Somehow he knew that with every cut and bruise he could see, there were two more that he couldn't. He tried not to think about it. All he could think about was that she was alive.

"She has a pulse?" Casey questioned, obviously surprised. Seeing the state Brennan was in, she had assumed that they were too late.

"She's alive," Booth repeated. "Her pulse is faint, but it's there. We don't have much time."

He wiped a tear from his cheek with the back of his free hand. He concentrated on Brennan's face. He couldn't bear to look at her bruised body any longer. He fixated on her face, willing her to open her eyes. He wanted to look into her amazing blue eyes just one more time.

"Come on, Bones. Stay with me. Please stay with me," he whispered. "I need you."

Two medics, dressed in bullet proof vests and carrying medical bags and a backboard, came down the stairs and walked over to Brennan and Booth. They both knelt next to her motionless body.

"Sir, step aside, please," one of them commanded.

Booth didn't step aside. He shifted, giving the medics their space, but he was not about to leave her. Being careful of her wrists, Booth grabbed Brennan's hand and didn't let go. He made himself a promise that he would never let go again.

"Sir," the medic said strictly.

Booth looked up sharply at the medic, giving him an evil glare. "I'm not going anywhere," he stated.

The medic didn't push it. He and the second medic began working quickly. Within seconds, Brennan had an oxygen mask on and they had secured her neck with a neck brace.

"She's a mess," the medic who had spoken to Booth said to the other. "She's lost a lot of blood. She's got contusions and lacerations and it looks like some broken ribs and her wrists…I don't know how she's still alive."

"She's barely alive," the second medic added. "I don't think she'll even make it up the stairs."

"She is alive," Booth snarled. "She's alive and she's going to stay that way. She's strong. She's a fighter."

"And who are you?" The medic asked.

"You don't need to ask questions," Casey stated. She had been quiet, letting the medics do their work and letting Booth do what he needed to do. But she wasn't about to let someone else take over her case and start telling her people what to do. "Just save her life."

The medics both worked on Brennan in near silence. They spoke to each other about blood pressure and pints of blood lost and her heart beats per minute. Booth ignored it all. He just concentrated on her face.

"Let's get her on the board and get her out of here," the first medic suggested.

"Is she stable enough?" The second medic asked.

"We don't have a choice. We need to get her to the hospital or she'll have no chance." He positioned the backboard beside her. "On the count of three. One, two, three."

As the medics rolled her body onto the board, Booth never let go of her hand. They strapped her down safely, constantly checking the portable monitor they had brought down that was monitoring her vitals.

"Her hearts not beating fast enough," the second medic stated. "Looks like one of the ribs might have punctured a lung. She's bleeding internally."

Booth winced as they spoke.

"Just save her," Casey said, standing back. Neither the medics nor Booth needed her crowding them.

"Alright, let's take her up to the rig," the first medic instructed.

On the count of three, each of the medics lifted an end of the board, hoisting Brennan into the air. Booth noticed Casey talking to the members of the SWAT team as he walked up the steps with the medics. It was a tight squeeze on the steps, but he stayed next to Brennan the whole time. Casey followed them up the stairs, keeping her distance.

As they ascended into the mall, Booth noticed that a group of people had gathered around the door. Yellow crime scene tape had been set up, blocking off an area of about twenty feet in all directions. Even though they were far away, it didn't stop the people from trying to see what was going on. Booth tried his best to shield Brennan from the prying eyes. She didn't need to be subjected to people staring at her in her condition.

"Her stats are dropping," the first medic announced.

"Come on Bones," Booth pleaded. "Stay with me."

They walked through the mall. Casey stayed in control, barking orders at officers as she went by. She looked over at Booth, seeing the sadness in his face. Two officers opened the mall doors as they rushed out of the mall to the waiting ambulance. The medics placed Brennan onto a stretcher. One of the medics looked from Booth's face to his hand that was still gripping Brennan's hand.

"Sir, you're going to have to let go," one of the medics said.

Booth knew the medic was right. He was going to have to let go, but he didn't want to. He brought Brennan's hand to his lips and kissed it lightly before gently placing her arm beside her on the backboard. The medics continued to spew out medical terminology that Booth didn't understand, but he knew it couldn't be good.

Seeing that Booth had finally stepped back from Brennan, Casey chose to finally address Booth.

"Where's Collin Brown?" Casey asked.

Somehow Booth managed to tear his eyes away from Brennan's face to look at Casey.

"What?"

"Collin Brown wasn't down there. I had my guys check the whole basement. There was no other exit. He wasn't down there. So where is he?" She asked. Casey had debated on whether or not to even mention it to Booth that Collin Brown was nowhere to be found. She knew he needed to concentrate on Brennan. But she also knew that he would want to find Collin Brown more than anyone and he would hate himself if he somehow let Collin Brown get away with what he had done.

"You're right," Booth said. "Where is he?"

Booth had almost forgotten about Collin Brown even though he was the whole reason he was watching Brennan being loaded into an ambulance. The minute he had laid eyes on Brennan hanging in that basement, the name Collin Brown had slipped through his memory. With the mention of his name, though, Booth's rage began to overflow.

"That's what we need to figure out."

"I'm going to kill him," he threatened. Casey could see in his eyes that he meant it.

"First we have to find him."

Booth glanced over at Brennan as they loaded the stretcher into the back of the ambulance.

"I…" he began.

"Go."

"But we need to find him."

"You need to be with her. I'll find him. Don't worry. You go."

"But…"

"Trust me. I will find him. Go."

Booth took another quick look at the ambulance. One of the medics was hanging a bag of blood while another was trying to find a vein in Brennan's arm in order to start replenishing the blood she had lost.

"He came back to where his old house was," Booth stated. As much as he wanted to be with Brennan, he needed to find the man who hurt her, which meant he needed to work through the facts. He knew the only way they would find him would be if he and Casey put their heads together, much like he and Brennan always did to solve their cases.

"Being here means something to him," Casey continued.

"He always chose to take his victims to different places. They were usually deserted and held no meaning for him, but this time he chose to take Bones to his home in a sense. Why would he do that?"

"He knew this would be his biggest triumph. He wanted it to be personal. He went against his MO and took Dr. Brennan because it was personal for you and he took her to the location of his house because it is personal for him."

"So he has to be nearby."

"Yeah, if we haven't scared him off yet. He probably ran the minute he saw the flashing lights."

"No. He's here. He likes playing this game. He thinks he's smarter than us. That's why he sent us the photos and video. He thinks he can get away with it."

Booth quickly scanned the crowd, looking for Collin Brown's all too familiar face. Booth was no psychologist, but he knew Creepy was out there. He could feel it.

"We're taking her to County," one of the medics called out.

He hopped into the driver's seat while the other medic stayed in the back with Brennan. He was checking her pulse and shaking his head. It wasn't a hopeful sign.

"Go," Casey insisted. "I'll find him."

Booth nodded and got ready to climb into the back of the ambulance when he turned to take one last look around. That's when he saw him. Less than fifteen feet away, Collin Brown, wearing a baseball hat and brown coat over a plain white T-Shirt and Jeans was standing in the middle of the crowd. He blended in with the crowd easily, but Booth knew it was him. Collin looked straight at Booth and smiled.

Booth didn't have time to think. He just reacted. He took two big steps forward, pulled out his gun, and pulled the trigger. It was one shot. One shot that hit Collin Brown directly between the eyes. He fell to the ground as the crowd around him began to scream. The SWAT team immediately reacted. Booth had two guys tackling him to the ground in an instant. Others surrounded Collin Brown, backing the crowd up. It was complete chaos, but all Booth saw was Collin Brown lying dead on the cold cement.

"Get off me!" Booth shouted, fighting against them.

The medic who was driving the ambulance scrambled out of the ambulance and rushed over to Collin, trying to see if he could help. He put his fingers to the side of Collin's neck, checking for a pulse.

"Get her to the hospital!" Booth screamed. "Forget him! Save her! Damn it! Save her!"

Startled, Casey stood completely still. With her mouth gaping open, she stared at Booth.

"You…" she began to say.

"Please," Booth begged, straining under the two men holding him down. "Get her help. Please. Save her."

Casey walked over to where Collin Brown fell.

"He's dead," the medic announced.

"Get Dr. Brennan to the hospital. Now," Casey commanded. "And he's going with you," she said, pointing at Booth.

"But…" the medic began to protest. "He just shot somebody."

"Go!" Casey shouted. "Go now before I arrest you for obstruction of justice." Casey knew she was bluffing. She would never really be able to arrest the man, but he didn't know that.

The medic made his way back to the ambulance.

"Call another bus. Get these people out of here," Casey instructed before walking back over to where Booth was still lying down on the ground with his hands being held behind his back.

"What should we do with him?" One of the SWAT personnel asked.

"Let him up," Casey answered.

"But…"

"What is it with you people suddenly thinking you can argue with the Federal Bureau of Investigation?" Casey questioned. "Let him up."

The two men got off of Booth and he scrambled to his feet. They stayed close by with their guns still ready.

"Go," she said.

"Thank you," he replied.

Booth hopped into the back of the ambulance. Casey put her hand on the door before he could close it.

"That was stupid, Agent Booth. That was really stupid."

He nodded. "I know, but I'd do it again."

"Go save her life," she said before slamming the door shut. Booth immediately sat down on the bench that ran along the side of the ambulance. He took Brennan's hand gently.

"How is she?" He asked the medic.

He looked a little scared to open his mouth, but finally he did speak. "Her pulse is weak. She could have internal bleeding or…"

"She'll make it," Booth stated. "She has to make it." He leaned over her, placing a kiss on her temple. "You'll make it," he whispered.

A machine started to beep loudly. Booth looked over at the machine. He knew immediately that the flat line was not a good sign.

"She's crashing," the medic said.

Author's Note: Well, I hope you enjoyed it. I debated on whether or not to have Booth kill Collin, but I think I made the right decision (I hope you think so, too!). I know this chapter is another cliffy, but I enjoy keeping everyone on the edges of their seats (I know, I'm evil like that)! Anyway, thank you for reading and don't forget to review!


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

Friday

4:14 PM

Booth watched as the defibrillator paddles touched Brennan's chest. He heard the medic call out. He saw her body convulse against the powerful shock. He heard the monitor continue to beep one continuous hum. He felt the tears running down his face as he watched her slip away.

"We're losing her," the medic who had shocked her said to the driver.

"She'll never make it to the hospital," the driver replied.

"She'll make it," Booth said calmly. He wanted to yell. He wanted to scream at the top of his lungs. He wanted to fall to his knees and pray and plead for her life. He held her cold hand, rubbing it between his two palms. He was trying to warm her up. He was trying to bring her back to life.

The medic adjusted the defibrillator and placed the paddles against her chest for a second time.

"Clear," he shouted out.

Booth reluctantly let her go. Her body jumped up with the shock of the paddles. Booth closed his eyes, silently praying. He listened for the monitor. The continuous hum turned into single, even beeps. Booth opened his eyes. He didn't bother to look at the monitor. Instead he watched her chest rise and fall slowly but surely.

"We've got her back, but her vitals are still dangerously low," the medic said both to Booth and the driver.

"She'll make it," Booth repeated, holding her hand once again.

The ambulance arrived at the hospital minutes later. As soon as it pulled into the ambulance bay, the back doors opened and four doctors emerged onto the ambulance. They lifted the gurney out of the ambulance and onto the sidewalk. The doctors started shouting to the medics, each trying to shout louder than the next. In return, the medics yelled back at them, giving information through acronyms and numbers. They were talking about Brennan as if she were an object rather than a person.

"Her name is Temperance," Booth stated. "Temperance Brennan." He needed them to see her how he saw her. He needed them to see her as the woman he loved and not just some poor woman who was hanging on for life. "She's a doctor. Dr. Temperance Brennan."

The doctors started wheeling her into the hospital. Booth stayed by her side. The chaos ensued with doctors joining them and information being exchanged. It was like a very well rehearsed dance.

"My God, what happened? She looks like hell," a female doctor said as she joined the rest. "How is she even still alive? She looks like a human punching bag. She'd be a good teaching case. It's not like the interns could kill her. She's practically already dead."

"Get out!" Booth bellowed. Everyone working on Brennan suddenly stopped and stared at Booth. The doctor who had spoken turned red, but didn't move. "I said get out! You don't touch her! You don't lay one finger on her!"

The doctor caught Booth's eye and then glanced over at one of the other doctors. The doctor nodded and the female doctor walked out of the room angrily. Booth was glad she was gone. They didn't need any negative energy in the room. Brennan needed all the positive energy she could get.

"Alright, back to work," one of the other doctors instructed. They wheeled her into one of the emergency rooms and transferred her onto one of the hospital gurneys. The work continued as the doctors assessed her injuries.

"Sir," one the doctors said. "You need to let go."

Booth looked at the doctor and then to his hand, which was still entwined with Brennan's.

"I can't," Booth said.

"If you want us to help her, you need to let go."

Booth squeezed her hand before doing what he was told. He stepped back, letting the doctors work. Booth couldn't concentrate on all that was going on. The doctors shouted out her injuries like they were talking about something as simple as baseball scores. As he listened to them all, he realized that she had more injuries than he had even realized. The thought of how hurt she really was terrified him.

"Sir? Sir?" Booth finally looked up to see the doctor who had asked him to let go of Brennan's hand standing in front of him. "I'm Dr. London."

"Booth," Booth replied. It was all he could manage to say.

"Are you related to…"

"Brennan," Booth interrupted. "Temperance Brennan." He seemed to remember shouting her name. He remembered making sure everyone knew who she was, but the doctor didn't know. Nobody knew who she really was. She was just another patient to them. That made Booth want to scream.

"Are you related to Ms. Brennan?"

"Dr. Brennan," Booth corrected. He shook his head. "We're partners."

"Partners? As in…in a relationship?"

"We're partners," Booth repeated. The doctor eyed him, obviously looking for more information. "Work partners. We work together."

"Does she have any family we can contact?"

Booth nodded. "A father. And a brother."

"I'll have someone call them."

"She needs to get to surgery now!" One of the other doctors shouted.

"You'll need to step aside," Dr. London said to Booth.

"I want to stay with her."

"You're not family…"

"I am her family!" Booth shouted. Everyone in the room turned to look at him. He knew he was being difficult. He knew he should just step aside and let them do their work, but he couldn't. He needed to stay with her.

"You need to let us do our jobs," Dr. London stated.

Booth looked past the doctor, trying to see Brennan. With everyone around her, he could barely see her. All he could see was the wires and the machines and the blood soaked sheets.

"Please," Booth begged. "I need to stay with her."

"If you want us to help her, you need to step outside," Dr. London responded. "We'll let you know as soon as we know anything," "

Booth nodded, knowing the doctor was right.

"Just save her," Booth whispered before leaving the emergency room.

He hated leaving her, but he knew it had to be done. He had to put her life in someone else's hands. Booth walked out of the ER and into the hallway. He looked both ways down the hall, unsure of what to do with himself. He had been so concentrated on finding her and saving her, that he felt useless. He couldn't help her.

Booth started walking down the hall. He needed air. When he reached the doors to the hospital, he saw the ambulance that had brought them in still in the ambulance bay. He walked away from it, not wanting to be anywhere near the place where her heart had temporarily stopped. Booth walked several yards away from the chaos of the hospital. He reached into his pocket for a poker chip, but didn't have one. Not having anything in his hands made him want to scream. He wanted to yell and shout and cry and let everyone know how unfair it was that he had nothing to play with in his hands. Of course he knew that his emotions had nothing to do with the lack of a poker chip. It was all about her. It had always been about her. If she smiled, Booth smiled. If she had a bad day, Booth had a bad day. Now she was hurt and Booth was hurt.

Not knowing what else to do, Booth took out his phone. He knew everyone was just as worried about Brennan as he was. He had to let them know that she was found, even if he didn't know if she would survive or not. Booth dialed the lab and waited.

"Booth?" Cam answered.

"Yeah."

"Did you find her?"

"Yeah."

"Is she…is she alive?"

"For now." He couldn't muster any more words than that.

"Where are you?"

"County hospital. They're taking her to surgery. It's not good, Cam."

"What about Collin Brown? Did you find him?"

"Yeah, we found him."

"What happened?"

"Can you just…tell Angela and Hodgins and…get here, Cam. Please. Just get here."

"We're on our way."

Booth let the phone drop from his hand. It hit the concrete below, but the sound didn't even register. His legs began to fail him and Booth crumpled to the ground.

4:49 PM

Booth felt a hand on his shoulder. He lifted his head up and found himself staring straight into Cam's eyes. She was crouched in front of him, giving him a comforting smile. Booth looked past her and saw Hodgins, Angela, and Sweets standing around him in a circle. It was as if they were forming a protective barrier around him. Cam stood up and offered Booth her hand. He hesitantly placed his hand in hers and she helped pull him to his feet. He refused to look any of them in the eye. He had always remained strong in front of them. Even though as a group they had all shared so much, he still wouldn't let them see him so emotional.

"How is she?" Angela asked quietly.

Booth ran his hand down his face, wiping the tears away. He still couldn't look at Angela or anyone else, but he thought about her question. He didn't know. He looked down at his watch and realized how long he had been sitting on the sidewalk outside the hospital. Time had become his worst enemy. He always seemed to be running out of time.

"Booth…" Cam prompted.

"I don't know," he answered, finally looking Cam in the eye. He turned his gaze to Angela. "I don't know."

"Well, let's find out…together," Cam suggested.

Cam walked towards the hospital with Angela and Hodgins behind her. Booth stood still. He was afraid to go in. He was afraid to find out how she was doing.

"Agent Booth," Sweets said.

Booth hadn't noticed that Sweets had stayed behind with him.

"Please, Sweets, I can't deal with your twelve-year old psychology lesson right now," Booth replied.

"I just…I wanted to say I'm sorry and that I know Dr. Brennan is going to be ok. She's a fighter."

Booth nodded. "Thanks."

They followed Cam, Hodgins, and Angela through the hospital doors. Cam was standing at the front desk, talking to one of the nurses.

"Dr. Brennan. Dr. Temperance Brennan," Cam stated very clearly.

"I thought you were looking for a patient," the nurse replied.

"Dr. Brennan is a patient. She was brought in in an ambulance. We're trying to find out her status."

"Are you family?" The nurse asked.

"Excuse me?"

"Are you family?"

"No, but…"

"We don't give any information out unless you're family. You'll have to wait in the waiting room. It's just down the hall."

Angela stepped forward, placing her hands on the desk. She wasn't usually a threatening person, but when she wanted something, she wouldn't stop until she got it.

"Look. We are a family. Maybe we're not a traditional family, but we're a family," Angela stated. "And you are going to tell us how our friend is doing."

"The waiting room is down the hall," the nurse repeated, completely ignoring Angela.

"I'm Dr. Sweets," Sweets said, stepping up next to Angela. "I'm Dr. Brennan's psychologist. As her doctor, I should have access to her medical records."

"You're a shrink, not a medical doctor. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do so…"

"What about Booth?" Hodgins asked, taking his turn. Booth, who had been hanging back, looked up. He hadn't said anything mostly because he didn't have any fight left in him. He wanted to know how Brennan was doing more than anything, but he still wasn't sure if he was ready to hear the answer. Part of him wanted to go back to the sidewalk and just stay there until the hurt and the pain went away.

"Alright," the nurse said flippantly. "Let's hear this one."

"Booth is Brennan's emergency contact. Shouldn't he have a right to now what's going on?"

Sighing, the nurse typed some information into the computer in front of her. They all waited as she stared at the screen.

"Your friend is in surgery," she stated.

"That's it?" Angela asked.

"That's all I can tell you. A doctor will come by to speak to you when he or she becomes available. Until then, you need to go to the waiting room and stop bugging me."

"How long will she be in surgery?" Cam asked.

"I don't know, but according to her records, her injuries were quite severe. I'm sorry, but that is all I can tell you."

The nurse walked away before any of them could say a word.

"Well, this sucks," Angela said.

"Come on," Cam said. "Maybe we can find some bad coffee in this place."

They all headed off in the direction of the waiting room, Booth lagging behind the group. His feet felt like lead as he walked. His head was pounding. He couldn't get the image of her hanging in that basement, covered in bruises and blood, out of his head. He wasn't sure he'd ever be able to get it out of his head.

Author's Note: So, I know this might sound weird, but I had a lot of fun writing this chapter and having the squints all rally around Booth. I want to thank everyone for your reviews! Reading each and every review really makes my day better! Thanks for reading!


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

Friday

9:26 PM

Booth stood up from the hard, plastic chair. With his coffee in his hand, he started walking. He first walked in a circle around the set of six chairs that were in the middle of the room where Cam and Sweets were sitting and then he moved on to pace along the walls. He had completed the same routine every fifteen minutes since they had all made their way into the waiting room. After his tenth round, Sweets had begun to explain what was causing him to walk around like he was, but with one glare from Booth, Sweets shut him up. On his way around the room, Booth threw his empty cup into the garbage can by the door. It made a hollow sound as it fell to the bottom of the basket.

"Maybe you should take a walk outside," Cam suggested.

"I don't understand what's taking so long," Booth replied. He didn't need to go outside. He needed to know what was going on.

"It's surgery, Agent Booth," Sweets stated. "With the extent of her injuries, she is most likely undergoing multiple surgeries, which takes a considerable amount of…"

"I know," Booth snapped.

Hodgins and Angela walked through the door, carrying a tray with five hot coffees on it. Booth noticed immediately how casually Hodgins' arm was draped over Angela's shoulders. It was a simple gesture. One that he normally wouldn't have even noticed, but he did take notice. He noticed because he wasn't sure if he'd ever have the chance to stand like that with Brennan again.

"No news?" Angela asked. Cam shook her head. "What is taking so long? It's been over five hours."

"Surgery takes time," Sweets answered.

Booth stopped pacing. He put his hands on his hips and looked at Sweets. "Sweets, if you say that one more time, I swear I'll take out my gun and shoot you."

"Agent Booth," Sweets said. "You're willingness to resort to violence suggests that you…"

Booth seriously thought about reaching for his gun when Hodgins stepped between him and Sweets.

"They should have given us an update by now," Hodgins said, hoping to diffuse the situation. He knew Sweets was only trying to help, but Booth was not in the mood for psychological counseling. Hodgins handed out the coffees. Booth took his cup gratefully and turned away from Sweets. It was his fifth coffee of the night and he knew it wouldn't be his last. The caffeine was the only thing keeping him from crashing. Unable to sit, he stood, leaning against the wall.

"Sometimes no update is a good thing," Cam said, trying to make everyone feel better.

"And sometimes it's not," Booth added. He couldn't help but think negatively. All of his worst fears were being recognized.

"Brennan is strong, Booth," Angela said. "You know that better than anybody. And if anyone can pull through this, she can. She wouldn't…she wouldn't want us all sitting here sulking. She'd want us to…I don't know…go back to the lab and solve a crime or something."

"I'm not leaving," Booth declared.

Angela sighed. "Neither am I. I just…I hate just sitting here."

"You never told us what happened to Collin Brown," Cam said.

"I shot him."

"Was he in the basement with Dr. Brennan?" Cam asked.

Booth shook his head. "He was standing outside in the crowd."

Sweets looked at him in disbelief. "And you shot him?"

"He deserved to die," Booth stated, leaving no room for argument.

"But you shot him? In a crowd?" Sweets questioned. "With other people around?"

"He deserved to die," Booth repeated.

"No one is denying that, Booth, but…" Cam began to say.

"He did the right thing," Angela interrupted. She walked over to where Booth stood. "No matter what happened or how it happened, you did the right thing. He didn't deserve to live."

Angela wrapped her arms around him and hugged him. At first Booth did nothing. He didn't reciprocate the hug. He just stood there limply while Angela held him tightly. Booth found the gesture to be momentarily awkward. He and Angela had never been close. Angela had always been Brennan's friend, not Booth's. Of course Booth enjoyed working with her, especially since she was the least like a squint, and respected her for her expertise, but he had never felt particularly close to her. As she held him, though, he felt different. After a moment, his arms raised and he hugged her back. It was a deep hug; the type of hug that Booth rarely shared with another person, but it felt good to feel so connected to someone.

"Agent Booth," a voice said.

Angela let Booth go. He looked to where the voice had come from. Casey was standing in the doorway.

"Casey," Booth replied, as if confused as to why she was there.

"Can I talk to you outside?" She asked.

Booth nodded. She disappeared out the door. Booth gave a reassuring look to everyone in the waiting room before following Casey to the front of the hospital.

"How is Dr. Brennan?" Casey asked.

"She's still in surgery. We don't know anything."

"I'm sorry."

"You don't have to say that. It's nobody's fault. Nobody but Collin Brown…and me." His voice trailed off.

"This is not your fault."

Booth looked down at the ground. "If I had found her sooner…"

"We, Agent Booth. If we had found her sooner…but there is nothing we could have done better. We found her. That's what's important."

"I'd kill him again," Booth said.

"I know."

Booth paused, choosing his next words carefully. He knew he was going to have to suffer the consequences of his actions and he was willing to accept them.

"I don't care what happens to me, but I need to be here for her if she wakes up."

"When she wakes up," Casey corrected.

Booth snorted. "You remind me of me."

"What do you mean?"

"Usually Bones is the negative one. She's the one who doesn't believe in hope or faith. She's the one who would be standing here saying 'if' instead of 'when.' Usually I'm the one in your shoes. Usually I'm the one who has to convince her that there's more to life than science and statistics."

"You're scared for her. You're allowed to be scared for you, too."

"What's going to happen to me?"

"I talked to the director. I've already handed him my preliminary report."

"I accept responsibility for what I've done."

"According to the FBI, you didn't do anything."

"What do you mean?"

"All you did was save a crowd of people from a serial killer."

Booth leaned in, whispering. "I shot him with a crowd of people around. I didn't think about other human life. I just reacted. I reacted because I was angry…I was so angry at what he had done to her…to the woman I love. That's certainly not sanctioned by the FBI."

"As my report states, Collin Brown had a weapon. You saw it, assessed the risks, and decided that shooting him was the only way to save those innocent people. With your experience as a sniper and your excellent shooting skills, you knew you could make the shot without endangering other's lives. It wasn't an ideal situation, Agent Booth, but you saved all of those people."

Booth stared at her in disbelief. What she was describing was not what happened.

"But Collin Brown didn't have a weapon. I shot him because he deserved to die. I shot him because he nearly killed my partner. She is up there fighting for her life because of that…that bastard!"

"I know," she said, her voice lowered. "When we removed his body, we found a 22 caliber gun. He was armed. You saw that gun, Agent Booth. That's why you shot him. You saw the gun and you shot him to save innocent lives."

"You're twisting the facts," he said quietly. Although there was no one around them, Booth wasn't going to risk exposing their conversation.

"No, I'm making it so that you get to see your partner when she wakes up." She leaned in closer to him. "If the FBI got wind of what really happened, your ass would be in a jail cell right now instead of in this hospital."

"I don't…I don't lie. I don't stretch the truth. Our jobs are to protect. Our jobs are to tell the truth. I told you, I will take responsibility for my actions."

"And what will that do? I understand you want to do the right thing. That's exactly what I'm trying to do. I'm not lying in my report, Agent Booth. Collin Brown had a weapon on him. If you didn't kill him, he could have taken out innocent bystanders."

"He's a serial killer with a very specific MO. He wouldn't have started shooting people."

"A very specific MO? He broke that MO when he took your partner. And if he got away, he would have found another woman. You know that he would have gotten somebody else and we'd be doing this all over again."

Booth paused, trying to process everything that was being said.

"You're putting your neck on the line for me."

"I'm putting my neck on the line for something I believe in. I believe in you, Agent Booth. I believe you did the right thing. Maybe it was driven by anger, but you did the right thing. And I believe that your partner needs you."

"So, that's it? I'm off the hook."

"So to speak."

"I don't know how I'll ever be able to thank you."

"Tell her. When she wakes up, when you get through all this, tell her how you feel. That will be thanks enough for me."

"Why are you doing this? Why are you so interested in Bones and I?"

"Because by the time I went to tell my partner I was in love, it was too late. Don't make the same mistake I did."

"I'm sorry, I didn't…I didn't know."

"Go, Agent Booth. Go be with your friends. Go be with your partner. Don't waste another minute."

"Thank you," Booth said, shaking her hand.

"Let me know how she is when you find out."

"I will."

"She's going to be ok, Agent Booth."

"Booth."

"What?"

"It's just Booth. No Agent. Just Booth."

She nodded and smiled. "Ok, Booth." Casey squeezed his hand. "I'll see you later."

"Thank you, Casey. For everything."

"Don't forget how you can thank me."

He smiled. "I won't."

Casey walked away and Booth was left alone. For the first time, he didn't feel scared. For the first time, he felt faith. He felt what everyone had been saying to him. She was going to be ok. He just knew it.

Booth walked back to the waiting room. Everyone was where he had left them. It was comforting to know all of his friends were there. They didn't have to talk. They could just be there for each other. Booth sat down in the seat next to Cam. She patted his hand lightly, reassuring him.

"Mr. Booth?"

Booth looked to the door and saw Dr. London. Everyone immediately stood up and gathered in front of the door.

"Is she ok?" Angela asked.

"Is she alive?" Hodgins questioned.

"When can I see her?" Booth wondered.

Their questions all came out at the same time. Dr. London put his hands up, silencing them.

"I really should only be speaking to Mr. Booth. He is her emergency contact."

"He's only going to tell us exactly what you said," Angela replied.

"Except with less medical terminology," Hodgins added.

"So you mine as well tell all of us," Sweets said.

"Fine. Dr. Brennan suffered some very severe injuries," Dr. London explained. "She has three broken ribs, one of which punctured her lung. We were able to repair the lung as well as some internal bleeding. Both wrists were broken in several places, but her left wrist seemed to sustain the most injuries. We set the bones in her right wrist and had to put a metal rod in her left wrist. There was also some nerve damage in the left wrist. I don't know if she will ever have one hundred percent function in that wrist again. She has a number of lacerations and a severe concussion. It's amazing she's still alive."

"Will she be ok?" Angela repeated.

"Right now she'll be going into the ICU. The next forty-eight hours will be critical. Her body has a lot of healing to do. It is possible that there are just too many severe injuries for her body to take. Her heart stopped once in the ambulance and again in surgery." Booth winced, thinking about her body being shocked by those paddles again and again. "There's no telling how long oxygen was deprived from her brain. That, coupled with the concussion…"

"Are you saying she could be brain dead?" Cam asked.

"We won't anything for sure for some time. We're running some tests now. We'll be keeping a close on her. Monitoring her for infection and more internal bleeding…"

"Will she live?" Booth asked. It was the most important question and he had to know.

Dr. London sighed. "I don't know. As I said, the next forty-eight hours will be critical."

"Can I see her?" Booth asked.

"We only allow family members in the ICU."

"Right now we're the only family she has," Angela said.

"I can see that you all are very close," Dr. London said.

"I'm her partner," Booth said, pleading with him.

"Her professional partner, yes, but…"

"We are her family!" Sweets shouted. Everyone looked at him, surprised at his outburst. Up until then, he had been quiet. "And Agent Booth is a close to Dr. Brennan as any two people can be."

"Thanks, Sweets," Booth said in earnest.

"You people don't take no for an answer, do you?" Dr. London replied.

"Not when it comes to a member of our family," Angela stated.

"Alright, I'll allow you to see her. But it can only be one at a time. She needs to rest. I'll have a nurse come get you when Dr. Brennan is in the ICU."

"Thank you," Cam said.

"She's a strong woman," Dr. London stated.

"You have no idea," Booth replied.

Author's Note: Well, I loved writing about the supportive squints so much that I had to write more about them. I hope you liked it!


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

Friday

10:24 PM

Booth followed the nurse out of the elevator and down the hall. He was trying to stay positive. He was trying to have faith. Positive thinking was the only thing keeping him walking down the hallway towards an unknown future. Dr. London had said she was still alive, but Booth was still terrified. Even though he had already seen her, he wasn't sure if he was already to see the real damage left behind by Collin Brown.

"Room 417," the nurse said. "Right here."

"Thank you," Booth replied.

"We don't normally allow overnight visits in the ICU, but Dr. London told me that he'll be allowing you to stay overnight with your girlfriend."

"She's not my…" Booth didn't continue. He was tired of correcting people when they made the assumption that he and Brennan were an item, especially when that was what he desired the most.

"Let me know if you need anything," the nurse said before walking away.

As soon as the nurse was gone, Booth stood at the doorway. He looked into the room. There was a curtain pulled around the bed, blocking Booth from seeing her. Taking a deep breath, Booth walked into the room. He stopped in front of the curtain. He put his hand on it, ready to push it aside. Before he did, though, he squeezed his eyes shut.

"Please," he whispered. "Please."

He pulled the curtain aside and opened his eyes. He immediately had to hold back the tears. He approached the bed slowly and took it all in. She was lying there with her eyes closed, almost as if she were peacefully asleep, but the rest of her body told otherwise. Booth looked over her. Her head was bandaged, her right cheek badly bruised. Booth remembered Collin Brown slapping her hard across the face in the video. A tear fell from his eye and fell onto the bed next to her. He saw the breathing tube in her mouth and her bandaged wrists and hands. The blanket was tucked up to her chest, underneath her arms so he couldn't see the rest of his body. He was left to imagine the horror that lay beneath the blanket.

Booth pulled a nearby chair next to her bedside. He sat down and put his hand on her arm. Normally he would hold her hand, but with the bandages wrapped around her wrists, he didn't have the access he wanted to her hands. With his free hand, he reached up and brushed her hair away from her face, stroking his finger down her face before removing his hand.

"Bones," he said quietly.

He didn't know what to say. There were so many emotions flowing through him that he didn't know where to start. He wanted to tell her how he really felt. He was tired of hiding, but it wasn't the right time. The first time he told her he loved her, he needed her to hear it. He needed her to really hear it no matter what the consequences.

"I'm sorry," he settled on. "I'm sorry I brought him into our lives…into your life. I'm sorry that I ever took that phone call that he was being released. I'm sorry that I let him get to you. I'm sorry that I couldn't find you…that I didn't get to you sooner. I'm so sorry, Bones."

He looked at the beeping monitors that surrounded her. Aside from what he knew from watching hospital dramas, Booth didn't know what any of them were for. He just knew that none of them could be good. He thought about what Dr. London said. Her body needed to heal, but it wasn't just her body he was worried about. He looked up at her bandaged forehead. It was her brain. He knew her body could heal and it would heal, but what scared him the most was that Collin Brown could have done irreversible damage. Collin Brown may not have taken Brennan from Booth in a physical sense, but he may have taken everything Booth loved about her. He may have taken Dr. Brennan the person and that scared Booth the most.

"I'm here, Bones," he said quietly. "I'm here and I'm not going anywhere."

Booth leaned over and placed a kiss on her skin right where the bandage ended. He let his lips linger on her forehead longer than necessary. Even though she would say that it was ridiculous and scientifically impossible, he hoped that she could somehow feel him.

Saturday

10:32 PM

Angela watched him as he slept. His arm was draped over Brennan's body. His head was resting on the bed right next to her shoulder. He was still sitting in the chair that he had dragged over to her bedside. The sleeper chair that was in the room had remained unused.

Angela walked quietly into the room, placing the bag of donuts and the two coffees she had brought down on a cart next to Brennan's bed. She knew she should wake Booth. There was no telling how long he had been asleep, but she knew that however long, he was going to have a terrible backache when he woke up. Sleeping hunched over like that wasn't good for anybody.

Before she woke him, though, Angela had to see Brennan. Like Booth had done, Angela took time looking over Brennan's body. She was a trained artist and, just as she memorized the faces of everyone she met, she had memorized Brennan's. As she looked at her once smooth, porcelain skin, she noticed every imperfection. Every cut and every bruise jumped out at her. Angela couldn't stop the tears. She allowed herself a few minutes of silently crying over her hurt friend before she grabbed a tissue and dabbed at her tears. She put her hand on Brennan's arm and leaned in close to Brennan's ear.

"I know you're in there, Brennan," she said. "You need to wake up. We all need you. And he…" she looked over at Booth. "He needs you the most. He might not be ready to admit it, but he needs you. Come back to us."

Angela straightened and walked over to the other side of the bed where Booth slept. She put her hand on his shoulder and shook him lightly. Booth's head shot up like a rocket.

"What? What's happening?" He looked at Brennan's face and quickly checked the monitors. As far as he could tell, nothing had changed. He wasn't sure if that was good or bad.

"It's just me," Angela said.

"Angela? How'd you get up here?"

"The elevator," she answered, trying to keep the conversation light.

"No, I mean…I thought they said only family could be up here."

"They did, but Sweets gave one of the nurses one of his famous psychology lessons about how important it is for patients to be surrounded by the people they love and who love them during their recovery, blah, blah, blah."

"And it worked?"

"Well, the jelly donut I tempted the nurse with helped." She picked up the bag she had brought in. "Donut?"

"I'm not hungry."

"Have you eaten since you've been up here?"

"One of the nurses brought me something," Booth answered, pointing to a hospital tray that was resting on a nearby counter. Angela walked over to the tray and took the cover off.

"This hasn't even been touched."

"I'm not hungry," he repeated.

"That's what I figured you'd say, which is why I brought your favorite." She reached her hand into the bag she had brought and pulled out a donut. "Double chocolate with chocolate sprinkles."

"Ang…"

"Eat it. Please? For me." She batted her eyelashes at him and handed him the donut. He took it and took a large bite.

"You're a powerful woman, Angela."

"Thank you."

"No wonder Hodgins does anything you say. You bat an eyelash and any man is powerless to resist you."

"It's a gift and a curse," Angela joked. She handed him one of the coffees.

"Thanks."

Angela pulled over another chair and sat beside Booth. She noticed that he still had his hand on her arm. He refused to be disconnected to her.

"How is she doing?" Angela asked.

"I don't know. A nurse came in a few hours ago and said nothings changed."

"Well, that's good, right? At least she's not getting worse."

"I guess."

"Dr. London said the first forty-eight hours are critical. Well, she's made it through the first twenty-four so we're halfway there."

"Yeah, but it's also not a good sign if she doesn't wake up in the first forty-eight hours, either."

Angela put her hand on his shoulder. "She will. She has too much left to live for not to wake up."

"Like what? Like identifying thousand year old bones? Like going to the next major catastrophe to sift through debris and garbage to identify human remains?"

He knew he was being unnecessarily coarse, but he couldn't help it. He was angry. He was angry at himself. He had always been so sure of himself when it came to what he wanted. He never let anyone stand in his way. Not when it came to the army or the FBI or his relationships. He always got what he wanted, but not with Brennan. She had changed him. She had made him suppress his feelings. She was the only one who had ever denied him what he wanted and he had let her. He had let this little charade that they were just partners and that he had no feelings for her go on for so long. Maybe if he hadn't, she wouldn't be lying on the hospital bed.

"It's what she loves," Angela said.

"It's not a life."

"I know that. And I think she was just starting to figure that out. And it's all because of you, Booth. You've shown her that there is more to life."

"Yeah, and where did that get her? Here. If she had just stayed in the lab…"

"Don't go blaming yourself again. None of us can make Brennan do what she doesn't want to do. She went out into the field with you because she wanted to. She went out because she wanted to be with you."

Booth stood up, separating himself from both Angela and Brennan. He walked to the opposite side of the room and crossed his arms over his chest.

"She shouldn't be here. Not like this."

"You're right. But she is here and the only thing we can do for her is to let her know that we're here."

They were both silent for a few moments. Booth was collecting his thoughts. He wasn't going to be the man that Brennan had made him into. He was going to be the man he wanted to be.

"I'm going to tell her," he said, turning to face Angela.

"Good."

"You don't even know what I'm going to tell her."

"Yes I do. I've just been trying to figure out how long it was going to one of you to break."

"You've always known haven't you?"

"Always. I kind of always thought the two of you would be alone on some stakeout somewhere and you'd be in some heated argument as always and finally you'd both just snap and spend the rest of the stakeout making hot passionate love in the backseat. But…this works too."

Booth smiled. "You are quite a woman, Angela." He rubbed his neck and sat back down in his chair.

"Go home," Angela said.

"What?'

"You've been here for twenty-four hours, Booth. Go home."

"I'm not leaving her."

"I'll stay. You're not the only one here for her. Cam, Hodgins, and Sweets…they'd all be here in a second if we asked them too. We're a family, Booth. This is what we do. We take care of each other. Let us take care of her…and you."

"What if she…"

"You're only a phone call away. It's just a few hours. Go…eat, sleep, shower, go for a run for all I care. Just…do something."

"And if you'll call me if…" he couldn't finish the sentence.

"I'll call you," she assured him.

Booth sighed. "Ok." He looked down at Brennan. "Can I…have a minute?"

Angela didn't say anything at all. She simply stood and walked out of the room. Booth stroked Brennan's hair and leaned in close to her.

"I'll only be gone for a little while. I promise I'll come back, Bones. I need you to stay strong for me. Angela, she's…she's a mess without you." He knew he was talking more about himself than Angela, but, even though Brennan was unconscious, he was still easier to project his feelings through someone else. "They're all a mess, Bones. All the squints…and Sweets although I think he's becoming more like a squint every minute. We need you. We're the center, remember Bones? The circle can't hold without the center and the circle must hold. Please, Bones." He kissed her forehead. "Please."

It took great effort for Booth to step away from her and even more effort for him to walk out the door. But, as soon as he saw Angela's face standing right outside the door, the steps became easier. She was right. They were a family and he had to put his faith in someone else. It wasn't easy, but Booth stepped into the elevator and left.

Author's Note; I hope you liked this one! And, on a side note, I hope I'm not the only one who was yelling at the TV during the end of last night's episode. Every Bones episode seems to cause me emotional pain as if the characters were real. I think I really need to get a life! Writing this story is the only thing that's keeping me sane! Anyway, thanks for reading and please review!


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

Saturday

11:29 PM

Booth trudged into his apartment. He rubbed his sore neck with his hand as he closed the door behind him. He shuffled over to the couch and sank into it. He had forgotten just how heavenly the perfect couch could be. He let his head sink into the cushions and he put his feet up on the coffee table in front of him. His eyes drooped close and he sat there, unmoving. He knew he shouldn't fall asleep. He had too many things to do to fall asleep, but he was just so exhausted. Mentally and physically, he was exhausted. Sure, he had caught a few hours of uncomfortable, restless sleep at the hospital, but that wasn't enough. He felt like he could sleep for a whole week.

As he began to doze off, the sharp shrill of his cell phone made Booth groan. The last thing he wanted to do was answer his phone. The only person he wanted to talk to was incapable of speaking. Nobody else mattered to him. He was afraid of who might be on the other end of the phone. It could be Angela telling him that Brennan had taken a turn for the worse. Or worse, it could be Dr. London telling him that Brennan was in fact brain dead. Booth thought about ignoring his phone, but it continued to ring. He reluctantly pulled the phone from his pocket and looked at the caller ID. He knew he had to take the call.

"Hey Rebecca," he said.

"What the hell is going on?" She asked, obviously angry.

"What?"

"It's all over the news."

"What is?"

"God, Seeley, I've been calling you all day."

"My phone's been off. I've been at the hospital."

He heard her gasp. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine. It's Bones."

"Is she ok?"

"We…we don't really know. She hasn't woken up yet."

"I'm sorry."

"I wish people would stop saying that," he said. He realized how harsh that sounded. Rebecca was only trying to be supportive. "What are they saying on the news?"

"Just that they found a woman in the basement of the mall and that a man by the name of Green or Black or…"

"Brown," Booth corrected. "Collin Brown."

"Yeah, Brown…that he had been released from prison even though he had been convicted of these terrible murders and that he kidnapped a woman and they found in her in the basement of the mall and…and there was a shootout with an FBI agent and he was dead…my God Seeley, was that FBI agent you?"

"Yeah, it was me."

"And you're ok?"

"It wasn't exactly a shoot out, Rebecca. But Collin Brown is dead."

"And Dr. Brennan? She was the woman in the basement?"

"Yeah."

"Seeley, I'm sor…" She didn't finish, remembering what he had said.

"How's Parker? Does he know any of this?"

"No. He just thinks you're working on some big, important case. He's really proud, actually."

Booth smiled. "Thanks, Rebecca. Look, I gotta go." He didn't really have to go, but he didn't want to talk anymore. "Tell Parker…tell him that I don't know when I'll see him…it might be a while. I've got to…take care of Bones."

"I know, Seeely."

"Just tell Parker I love him."

"I will."

"Thanks Rebecca."

Booth hung up the phone. He was not in the mood for small talk, but it did tug at his heart that he wasn't going to be able to see Parker. Hugging his little boy always made him feel better.

Trying to not think about his son, Booth debated on turning on the TV to see what exactly the news was reporting. He knew they probably had the story all wrong, but that wasn't what he cared about. He only cared about whether or not they were talking about Brennan. According to Rebecca it seemed as if her name had not yet been released, but it was only a matter of time before somebody identified the victim. Booth did not want Brennan's name and face scattered throughout the news.

Instead of the TV, though, Booth opted for what Angela had suggested. A shower. He couldn't remember the last time he had taken a shower. Not only would it make him feel better to be clean, but he was hoping some of the pressure from the shower could relieve the pain in his neck and back. He reminded himself not to sleep hunched over Brennan's bed again.

Booth made his way into the bathroom and turned on the water in the shower as hot as it would go. He stripped himself of his clothes and looked at himself in the mirror. His facial hair had begun to grow in since he hadn't shaved it in days. He ran his hand over to the coarse hair, reminding himself to shave it the next chance he got. Next he looked at his eyes. He had gone days without sleep in his tour in Iraq and had been trained under the harshest conditions. But his eyes; he had never seen them so sunken and tired. It was as if someone else was staring back at him.

Booth looked away from the mirror and stepped into the shower. The water was scolding hot, but it was just what he needed. He put his face directly beneath the hot spray and let the water hit him. He turned, letting it pulsate on his neck, shoulders, and back. He thought about how when his back was hurting Brennan would fix it with her technique that, even though left him in excruciating pain once, he would let her do again in a heartbeat. Thinking about her made his legs go weak. He put his hands on either side of the shower wall, steadying himself. Once she entered his mind, he couldn't stop thinking about her. It wasn't the first time he had thought about her in the shower, but it was the first time he cried for her in the shower. He let the tears fall openly as he sobbed.

Sunday

7:14 AM

Booth walked through the front doors of the hospital. He had only woken up twenty minutes earlier, had quickly thrown on Jeans and a T-Shirt, and raced to the hospital. He hadn't meant to fall asleep for so long. He hadn't meant to be away from her for so long. Booth headed for the elevator, but stopped when he saw a number of bouquets of flowers on a cart. A teenage girl was pushing it down the hallway.

"Excuse me," he said to the girl. "Can you tell me where the gift shop is?"

"Down the hall on the right."

"Thanks," Booth said. He could hear the girl giggling as he walked down the hall and to the right. He had to shake his head as he realized that the girl was giggling about him.

Booth found the gift shop, glad that it was open so early, and walked inside. It was small inside, but had all the usual hospital gift shop items. There were stuffed 'get well soon' bears, balloons, pink and blue pillows and bibs and onesies, and a number of ceramic angels. Booth looked around. He pulled a 'get well' balloon down by the string, but then let it go again. It floated back up to the ceiling.

"Can I help you?" An elderly woman behind the cash register asked.

"I'm ah…looking for a gift," Booth said.

"For?"

"My…" He didn't know how to answer her question. The only word he had to define his relationship with Brennan was partner, but that just didn't seem good enough. "I'd like to get her some flowers."

"Flowers are in the back. Does she have a favorite?"

Booth smiled, remembering how he had shocked Brennan by knowing the password to her computer. She couldn't understand how he could know so much about her. In truth, he had spent five years memorizing everything about her. He couldn't help it.

"Daffodils," he answered. "And daisies. Daisies are her second favorite."

"I think we've got some daffodils and daisies back there."

The woman walked with Booth to the back of the store. There were more flowers than Booth ever knew existed in buckets in a refrigerator. The woman opened the sliding doors and pulled out a handful of beautiful, yellow daffodils. She handed them to Booth and then went and took out a few daisies and some babies breath.

"Why don't I put these together for you?" She offered, taking the daffodils from him.

"Thank you."

She took the flowers to the front of the store and Booth followed her. She laid out some decorative tissue paper and cellophane and began arranging the flowers into a bouquet.

"Why don't you pick out a card?" The woman suggested.

"Oh…I…I don't think I'll need a card. She can't exactly read right now. As matter of fact she won't even be able to see the flowers. I don't even know why I stopped here."

"Whether she can see them or not, when a woman gets flowers from a man, it means something and when she wakes up, she'll want to know who they're from. Sign the card, son."

She gave him a sweet smile before she finished wrapping up the flowers. From the small card stand that was on the counter in front of him, Booth took out a 'get well' card with a picture of flowers on the front. It was generic, but it would have to do. Even though they had celebrated too many holidays to count together, they had never exchanged cards. Booth opened the card and saw that the inside was blank. He knew he should write some kind of deep, meaningful message inside. As he grabbed a nearby pen, all he could think to write was, 'Love Booth.' He knew it was a big step, but he was ready to make it.

"Here you go," the woman said, handing him the bouquet of flowers.

Booth thanked her, paid, walked out of the gift shop, and went to the elevators. He knew Brennan would say it was silly. She would say that flowers were part of an antiquated ritual and that they served no purpose. She would say they held no healing properties and that people just wasted money on silly things like flowers. But as Booth got out of the elevator and walked into her room, he knew bringing her flowers was the right thing. When she woke up, he wanted her to see something as beautiful as she was.

Booth was about to pull aside the curtain that was surrounding Brennan's bed when he heard someone's voice. It was a male's voice. Booth immediately recognized it as Sweets. He put his hand down, not moving the curtain. He knew he shouldn't eavesdrop, but he couldn't help it.

"I know you don't believe in psychology, Dr. Brennan but I think even you would agree that in this case psychology holds some value. Well, maybe you wouldn't agree, but now might be the only time I get to tell you what I'm thinking without you interrupting so, here goes. Since you were kidna...well, for the last few days I've been observing Agent Booth and watching his body language and…I think you should know…he…he has feelings for you. Strong feelings. He needs you, Dr. Brennan. You might not believe it, but it's true. I just thought you should know."

Booth pulled the curtain aside. Sweets sprang out of his chair and looked at Booth, stunned.

"I'm sorry," Sweets stuttered. "I didn't know you were there, Agent Booth." He was stumbling over his words as if he were nervous. It wasn't the first time Booth had intimidated him.

"Where's Angela?"

"We traded off about an hour ago," Sweets answered. "Were you able to go home and get some rest?"

Booth nodded and put the flowers down by the windows.

"Those are very beautiful. It was very thoughtful of you to bring Dr. Brennan flowers."

"They're her favorites," Booth responded. "How is she doing?" Booth asked.

"Her vitals have improved some and the tests for her brain activity came back."

"And?"

"It's not bad news, but it's not exactly good news either."

"What does that mean, Sweets?"

"They…can't tell anything yet. The tests show some brain activity, but it's impossible to tell whether or not her brain is still functioning normally. We're going to have to wait until she wakes up."

"Why didn't anyone call me?"

"Because there was nothing to tell, Agent Booth."

"You found out that she has some brain activity and you didn't think that was something to tell? I want to be informed whenever anything happens!" Booth snapped.

"We all just thought you needed a break," Sweets replied calmly. He had spent so much time analyzing Booth that he knew when he was truly angry and when he was just irritated due to a high stress situation. He knew Booth was just acting out of fear.

Booth took a deep breath, allowing himself to calm down. "I know. I'm sorry." He slunk down into one of the plastic chairs and looked at Brennan. He couldn't believe how peaceful she looked. He wrapped his hand around her forearm, still wishing that he could have access to her hands. There was something about holding her hand that made him feel one hundred percent connected to her.

"I'll…ah…leave you alone. Hodgins said she'd stop by in a few hours and Cam should be here later tonight."

Sweets headed for the door.

"Hey Sweets."

He popped his head back around the curtain. "Yeah?"

"What you were saying to Bones…"

"I know…it was probably inappropriate of me. I'm sorry."

"No, that's not what I was going to say. You've been observing us for a long time. Why choose now to tell her how you think I feel?"

"I'm not a medical doctor, Agent Booth, but from my experiences, sometimes people who are in comas…people who are not quite alive or dead need a reason to come back to us. They need a reason to wake up. I was just trying to give her that reason."

"Thanks, Sweets," Booth said, clapping him on the back.

Sweets nodded and walked out, leaving Booth alone. He looked down at Brennan and ran his fingers up and down her arm. He cleared his throat, preparing himself for one of the most important moments in his life.

"Sweets is right, you know. I'm a mess, Bones. I'm a mess without you. And I don't need a psychologist to tell me how I feel. I'm tired of fighting it. I'm tired of denying it. And if you need a reason to wake up, here it is, Bones."

He paused, readying himself for the moment.

"I love you."

Author's Note: I know this chapter didn't have a lot of Booth/Bones interaction, but I just couldn't help but write Booth's little personal moments. There's a lot more Booth/Bones to come so stay tuned!


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

Sunday

11:33 PM

Booth turned the page of his book and glanced over the top of it to look at Brennan. Of course, nothing had changed. She was still lying unconscious. It had been forty-eight hours and nothing had changed. Dr. London had come in and said that her vitals looked better, but there was still no telling whether her brain was damaged or not. The doctors could tell there was some brain activity, but nobody knew if it was enough for her to wake up. Booth had tried to remain hopeful, but it was becoming increasingly more difficult.

He had hoped that after he admitted his feelings she would magically wake up like a kiss from Prince Charming in a fairy tale. He had hoped Sweets was right and that she was just waiting for a reason to wake up. But telling her he loved her wasn't enough. He wondered if it would ever be enough.

Booth put his eyes back on the page he was reading. It was Brennan's latest novel. Of course Booth had already read it. He read it before the book even hit the shelves. He wasn't a reader by nature. He didn't understand how reading was a form of entertainment when there were so many other things he could be doing, but he understood Brennan's books. He understood them because they were her. Whether she realized it or not, she wrote herself into each of her characters, except for one. The FBI agent who played her main character's partner was all him. She denied it when Sweets had pointed it out to her, but the character was driven by his heart and his gut just like Booth. The only difference was, in Brennan's books, the beautiful anthropologist and the sexy FBI agent weren't just partners. They were hitting the sheets every chance they got. When he read those scenes, Booth couldn't help but blush and wish that art imitated life.

"Booth?"

Booth slammed the book closed, hoping his cheeks weren't red. He looked up to see Cam standing next to the open curtain.

"Hey Cam."

"You ok? You look flushed."

Booth put the book down on the floor next to him and slid it under his chair, trying to hide it. He didn't need the whole world to know that he was reading her novels just because he missed her.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Look who I found outside," Cam said.

Casey appeared from behind the curtain and stood next to Cam.

"Hey Casey," Booth said.

"Hey Booth." Cam immediately noticed the ease in which Booth and Casey spoke. It was no longer the strained relationship that was there when they first met. Obviously something positive had happened between them. "How is Dr. Brennan doing?"

Booth shook his head. "I don't know. But it's been more than forty-eight hours and she hasn't woken up. That's not a good sign."

"I took the liberty and spoke to Dr. London," Cam said.

"Did he say anything?" Booth asked, hopefully.

"After deliberating with him over whether or not I should have access to Dr. Brennan's medical records, he told me that he was sending Dr. Brennan's scans to a specialist out of New York."

"What kind of specialist?" Booth asked.

"A neurosurgeon."

"Is something wrong with her brain?" Casey questioned.

"She could have…brain damage," Cam answered as delicately as she could. Booth's eyes immediately went to the bandage on Bone's forehead.

"Oh," was all Casey said. She shuffled her feet uncomfortably.

"Why is Dr. London sending her scans to a neurosurgeon?" Booth asked.

"He's afraid the brain damage may be more severe than they originally thought and that the brain activity we've been seeing isn't…enough to sustain life. I took a look at the scans myself."

"And what do you think?" Booth wondered. He needed someone to tell him what was going on. Even if it was bad news, he had to know. The waiting was killing him.

"I think it's good that we have a specialist take a look at the scans," Cam answered.

"So, what are you saying? She could be in a coma for…" He couldn't finish his sentence.

"Seeley, she might not wake up," Cam stated. "But I'm not a brain, surgeon. I'm a coroner. In my case, a functioning brain isn't usually something I worry about. The specialist should be able to tell us more."

"When will we know?"

"It could take several days."

"Days? I'm supposed to just sit here and wait around to hear if she's brain dead?"

"I know this isn't easy, Seeley," Cam said. "But we're all in this together."

Cam put her hand on his shoulder, but he shrugged away. He was tired of people touching him. He wasn't a child. He didn't need people telling him it was going to be alright.

"I…ah…don't know if you even care, but I brought this," Casey chimed in. She was holding a file folder in her hand. "It's my report about the case. I thought you might want to take a look at it."

Booth took it from her hands. "Thanks."

"Everything is exactly as I told you. They'll be expecting your report as soon as you can. I talked to your superiors and they understand the severity of the situation so there's no rush."

Booth knew exactly why she had given him a copy of her report. It wasn't just so that he could see what she had written. It was so that when he wrote up his report, his would match. Booth prided himself on being a good guy. He prided himself on doing his job with honor and integrity. He had never fudged a report before. As he looked at Casey, though, he knew that streak was about to end. He was going to fudge his report to save himself so that he could be there for her.

"So, how'd you convince the nurses to let both of you up here?" Booth asked, changing the subject.

"I told them I worked for the FBI and I showed them my badge," Casey answered.

"That was it? You just showed them your badge?" Booth questioned.

"I told them I was the lead investigator in Dr. Brennan's attack."

"Now why didn't I think of that?" Booth wondered.

"I should go," Casey said. "I've got a mountain of paperwork to do. I just wanted to give you the report…and to tell you…if you need anything, let me know."

"Yeah, you too. Thanks for the report."

"You're welcome. And don't forget our little deal," she said, winking.

"I haven't forgotten."

Casey turned towards Cam. "Dr. Saroyan, I just wanted to say that it was a pleasure working with you."

"And you, Agent Temple," Cam replied.

"Casey. It's just Casey." Cam smiled. "And…don't take this the wrong way, but I hope I never have to work with you or your people any time in the near future."

Cam smiled. "Agreed."

Casey nodded to Booth before leaving the room.

"What was that all about?"

"What?"

"Your little deal?"

"It's nothing."

"You like her, don't you?" Cam asked.

Booth was shocked by her question. Sure, it wasn't exactly a secret anymore how he felt about Brennan, but he hadn't expected it to become a topic for discussion.

"What? Who?"

"Casey. You like her."

"I do not."

Cam rolled her eyes. For all of his intuitions and gut feelings, sometimes Booth could be incredibly oblivious.

"I'm not saying you're in love with her Seeley. I'm just saying that you started off hating her and now you like her."

"Oh. Yeah, she's…ok."

"Just ok?"

"She's a good agent. You know, she's smart. She's got good instinct and she knows how to take charge in a tough situation, but she does this annoying psychoanalysis thing."

"Psychoanalysis?" Cam sat down next to Booth.

"Yeah, like Sweets. She knows what you're thinking before you're even thinking it."

"Sounds like Dr. Brennan wouldn't like her."

"Probably not. Bones would say she's wasting her time on the unproven science of psychology and she'd tell her to look at the hard, physical evidence."

"She probably would say something like that, but Dr. Brennan not liking her would have nothing to do with psychoanalysis."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh come on, Booth." His obliviousness kept growing and growing. "Casey is a young, attractive, smart agent who you worked very closely with."

"So?"

"So…Dr. Brennan would be jealous."

"Bones? Jealous. Bones doesn't believe in jealousy."

"Yet I've seen the way she's looked at other women you so much as talk to. She is not too happy when you flirt with other women…including me."

"I do not flirt with you. And besides, Bones likes you."

"But she didn't always."

"She didn't like you because you took the job she thought she deserved."

"She didn't like me because I was sleeping with you."

Booth looked down at Brennan, wondering if it were true. Was Cam right? Had Bones been jealous? It was an emotion she always said she didn't understand, but maybe it was just another one of those emotions she had been able to build those thick walls around. Maybe Booth just hadn't knocked down the walls yet.

"So did everyone know about…our feelings for each other except for us?"

"Pretty much, yeah. We've all just been waiting to see when it would happen. Angela always voted for a quickie in the backseat of your car."

"So I've heard." They both smiled. "What about you? What did you think would finally break us?"

"I always knew something big would have to happen or else the two of you would have gone on dancing around each other forever."

"I know how I feel, Cam. I'm not afraid that anymore. But what if she doesn't…reciprocate my feelings?"

"Were you listening to our conversation, Seeley? A woman doesn't get jealous unless she has feelings. She's yours, Seeley. She's always been yours."

"Mine," he whispered. "My girl." He smiled.

"What?"

"Nothing."

Booth could have explained it. He could have told Cam the story of how he called Bones 'my girl' and how she had gotten angry with him, but he refrained. 'My girl' was a nickname that was going to stay between Booth and his girl. Nobody else needed to know about it.

"Why don't you go take a break?" Cam suggested. "I'll stay with her. It's my turn anyway."

"No, I'm fine."

"Seeley…"

"Cam, really, I'm fine. Angela already kicked me out last night. I've slept, I've eaten, I even showered."

"That may be true, but I'd like to have a few minutes with her."

"What?"

"I'd like to talk to Dr. Brennan. Are you going to leave or am I going to have to kick you out?"

Booth smiled. "I'll be right outside the door."

He squeezed Brennan's forearm before leaving the room. He stood ride outside the door, leaning against the wall. He knew that Cam and Brennan had always had their differences, but despite everything, he understood why Cam wanted a moment alone with her. It seemed as if each of them wanted to make their peace with Brennan before it was too late.

Inside the room, Cam slid into Booth's chair so she was closer to Brennan.

"I don't do well in these situations, but there is something I'd like to say," Cam began, talking softly. "I know we don't always see eye to eye, but I wanted to let you know, Dr. Brennan, that I respect you. More than anyone else in my career, I respect you. I know you're strong enough to pull through this. And you should know that we all need you to pull through this. Sweets, Angela, Hodgins, me, Booth…we all need you." She took a breath. "I've known Booth for a long time and I have never seen him look at a woman the way he looks at you. You both deserve happiness."

Feeling as if she had said what she needed to say, Cam stood up. She walked past the curtain and to the door. She peeked her head out the door and saw Booth standing against the wall.

"Thanks," Cam said.

"What did you say to her?"

"Girl talk."

"I don't think Bones would know what girl talk is."

Cam smiled. "Then it's a good thing it was a one-sided conversation. Do you want me to stay with you?"

Booth shook his head. "No, thank you."

She nodded. "Call me if you need me."

"Cam?" Booth called out as she turned to walk away.

"Yeah?"

"This…schedule you and everyone else worked out to be here at the hospital. Was that for Bones or are you really all just here to babysit me?"

"Maybe a little bit of both."

"Well, I appreciate it. And I know she does, too."

"I was thinking of grabbing a bite to eat. Do you want anything from the diner?"

"Maybe a piece of pie?"

"One piece of pie, it is." This time when she put her hand on his shoulder, he didn't shrug it off. "Hang in there, Seeley."

Cam walked away and Booth immediately back into the room. He sat down in his usual chair and looked at Brennan.

"All alone again," Booth said.

He leaned in and kissed her lightly. He was beginning to think of that spot on her forehead as his. He only hoped he would have the opportunity to kiss that spot with her eyes open.

"I know you don't believe in this. I know you think that me sitting here talking to an unconscious you is silly and pointless, but I believe it, Bones. I believe you can hear me. I believe you're in there somewhere, just waiting to get out."

He paused and wiped his eyes. He hated that he couldn't stop crying. He wanted to be strong. He didn't need her thinking that he was weak, but he couldn't keep the tears in. And what was it that he always told Parker? It's ok to cry as long as you pick yourself up afterwards. Booth allowed his tears to fall, very well aware that he was going to have to pick himself up again.

"You know, Bones, everyone seems to have us pegged. Everyone seems to know how we feel. The only question is, are they right? Do you feel the same ways, Bones? I need to know. Because if you do, Bones…if you do…I promise you, it'll be worth waking up. I'll spend the rest of my life loving you."

He closed his eyes and silently prayed. He rarely prayed. Although he was a religious man, he didn't often ask God for his help, but this was different. If he ever needed divine intervention, it was at that moment.

"Please Temperance," he whispered with his eyes still closed.

"Don't call me Temperance. It's not normal."

Author's Note: Well, I hope everyone is finally happy! Don't worry, we're only about halfway through the story so there's a lot more to come!


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

Sunday

11:49 PM

"Bones?"

Booth stood up and leaned over her, looking into her blue eyes. He hadn't realized how much he had missed looking into her eyes. He put his palm against her cheek and leaned down to kiss her forehead in his spot.

"It's ok," Booth said. "It's ok. You're safe."

He could see the confusion behind her eyes. He could see the uncertainty. She looked from side to side before finally closing her eyes tightly. He knew she was trying to make sense of what was happening. He couldn't imagine how confused she must have been.

"Bones," he said again, barely above a whisper.

This time when he said her name, it wasn't a question. This time it was a statement. It was a statement that she was there with him. It felt good to say her name and know that she was actually hearing him. He couldn't stop staring at her and he couldn't stop the tear from rolling down his cheek. He wanted to touch her. He wanted to gather her in his arms and never let go, but he couldn't. Not only did her injuries prevent him from giving her the kind of hug he wanted, but he was afraid that she would be afraid of what the hug meant. He settled on resting his hand on her arm. It was a simply gesture, but it was enough.

"Booth," her voice was weak, but it was the best sound Booth had heard in a very long time.

"I'm here, Bones. I'm right here," he said quietly, squeezing her arm lightly.

She opened her eyes again. She tried to move, but felt restrained. Her body felt stiff. She looked at Booth, trying to focus on his eyes. She could see him. She could feel him touching her arm, but it was hard to focus on him.

"I…" she began before trailing off. She felt confused and she could feel pain from somewhere, but she didn't know where.

"Shh…" Booth soothed. "It's ok. You're ok."

It took Brennan nearly ten minutes before she spoke again. Booth could tell that she was fighting through pain and weariness and confusion. He simply stood there, giving her as much time as she needed. He silently prayed that she would be the same person he had known.

"What...what happened?" She finally asked.

"You're in the hospital," Booth said slowly. "Bones you've been unconscious for two days. We didn't know if you'd wake up...we didn't know if you'd make it. Do you know how good it is to hear your voice?"

"The sound of someone's voice can be rather comforting in times of emotional distress. There are studies that link..."

He couldn't help but laugh out loud. He saw her furrow her brow in confusion. She had no idea why he was laughing.

"I guess this means there wasn't any brain damage."

"What?"

"Never mind." He couldn't stop staring at her. Just hours earlier, he was worried that she would never wake up again and there she was, talking to him. "Bones, I…you don't know how long I've been waiting for you to open those beautiful eyes of yours."

He realized what he said as soon as he said it. Of course he had always thought she was beautiful, but he had never said it so easily before. He always said things like, 'you have good facial structure' or he relied on telling her she looked 'nice.' He had to remind himself that even though he was ready and willing to take their relationship to the next level, she had been unconscious and might not be so ready.

He was about to somehow cover up for what he had said when a nurse pushed aside the curtain around Brennan's bed. Totally ignoring Booth, she checked the monitors attached to Brennan.

"Well, I'll be damned," said the nurse.

"What? Is there something wrong?" Booth asked, suddenly distressed. He wasn't sure if he could handle the nurse telling him that there was something wrong. He squeezed Brennan's arm a little tighter.

"Not at all," the nurse replied. The nurse turned to Brennan. "How are you feeling, honey?"

"Why is she calling me honey?" Brennan wondered, the question directed at Booth.

"Just answer the question, Bones."

Brennan thought about how she was feeling. It was strange to actually have to stop and think about something that she should have been able to answer without thinking about. Everything seemed hazy, as if she couldn't see things clearly in her mind.

"I…my head hurts," she finally answered. "I feel…strange. There's…I feel pain. I just…I don't know where it's coming from." She looked at Booth. "Why don't I know?"

He didn't know how to answer. Instead, hearing her made him want to cry. She was still hurting and he felt like he could do nothing about it.

"Well, that's to be expected considering what you've been through," the nurse explained. "Things will become more clear with time. When the monitors at the nurse's station started going off showing normal brain activity in your room, I thought I was seeing things. It's a miracle."

"Miracles aren't real," Brennan stated.

"Oh honey, when you've worked here as long as I have, you start to believe in miracles."

"No. Miracles are not substantiated by science," Brennan argued. "They're simply…"

"I guess we don't have to worry about any brain damage," the nurse said.

"What?" Brennan asked, looking from the nurse to Booth. Things seemed to be getting hazier instead of clearer. She couldn't understand why they kept talking about brain damage. It didn't make any sense.

"I'll get Dr. London," the nurse said. She checked the monitors one more time, jotted down some things on Brennan's chart, and walked out of the room.

"Booth, what's going on?"

There was panic behind her eyes.

"You were injured, Bones. The doctors just want to check you out."

"How did I get here?"

"We don't have to talk about that now."

"Why not?"

He sat down in his chair, but didn't let go of her arm.

"Bones, do you have any idea how unbelievably unreal it is that you're talking to me right now? I mean, just minutes ago, I thought you'd never wake up and now you're talking to me and…and you're…you're you."

"Who else would I be?"

"I don't know. We were afraid that because of your concussion and lack of oxygen… we thought you were brain dead. I thought I'd never really have the chance to talk to you again."

"Obviously I'm not brain dead."

He chuckled at the simplicity of her statement. "No, obviously you're not."

"So tell me how I got here, Booth."

"This conversation can wait, Bones."

"I'd like to know."

Booth sighed. "You don't remember anything?"

She closed her eyes, trying to remember. She had scattered memories floating around in her brain that she couldn't make sense of. It was as if they were pieces of a jigsaw puzzle that needed to be connected together to make a picture.

"You...you found me," she stated as she opened her eyes again.

"I found you," he replied. "I'll always find you. No matter what happens, Bones, I'll always find you."

"How? How did you find me?"

"Look, we don't have to talk about this right now. Let's wait for Dr. London. He'll want to talk to you."

"But I want to talk about it, Booth. I want to make sense of it all. And who's Dr. London?"

"He's your doctor. Bones, you've been through too much already. I mean, I can't even believe that you're talking to me right now. I really don't think..."

"Please," she begged, looking him straight in the eye.

He could hear the neediness in her voice. It reminded him of himself. He had begged and pleaded for Bones to wake up. Now she was pleading with him to tell her what happened to her. He didn't want to tell her. He didn't want to remind her of what terrible things had been done. He would rather never tell her, or he would at least rather have told her when she had more time to heal and process everything that happened. But that wasn't the way she wanted it. And when she looked up at him with those pleading blue eyes, he knew he was going to tell her. He was going to tell her even though every word out of his mouth was going to cause him pain.

"We found you in the basement of the mall," Booth began to explain.

"We?"

"I was working with another agent...Casey Temple. She..."

"She?"

Booth wondered if he heard a hint of jealousy in her voice. The thought that she could possibly be jealous over Booth working with another woman made him want to smile.

"Yeah, she was assigned to your disappearance. We tried everything, Bones." He put his head down, unwilling to look at her. He still felt guilty over not finding her faster. He felt guilty that she was taken at all. "We did everything we could to find you. Cam, Hodgins, Angela...we all tried."

"I know." Bones went to raise her hand to put it on top of his. She gasped as pain shot from her wrist up her arm.

"You're in pain. I should get your doctor."

"No. Tell me what happened, Booth."

He could tell she was fighting through the pain. Her eyes were squeezed shut and her body had become rigid.

"Bones, please..." This time it was him pleading with her. He couldn't stand to see her in pain after all that she had been through. He couldn't stand to see her in pain ever.

She opened her eyes, looking right at him. "Booth," she said sternly. He knew he couldn't resist her. He would always give her whatever she wanted. She may not have had the feminine prowess that Angela had, but just with the sound of her voice, she had him wrapped around her finger and she didn't even know it.

"What's the last thing you remember?" He asked.

"The van. I remember getting into the van. And then...something happened. I remember being thrown from my seat and then...nothing."

"The van was hit by another car," Booth explained. He purposely didn't mention Collin Brown's name. He just wasn't ready to bring it up and he wasn't ready if he was ready to hear it. "When I got to the scene...nobody knew for sure what had happened, but I knew. I knew he...had you."

"You used your gut."

Booth smiled. "Yeah, I used my gut. Angela, Cam, and Hodgins...they did everything they could. They looked at every piece of evidence over and over, but we just didn't have the evidence we needed. Then...I was sent photographs...of a woman. We didn't know for sure that it was you, but..."

"You knew in your gut. I remember...hearing the camera, but I…I couldn't see."

"He had a bag over your head."

"I know."

He saw her close her eyes once again. He wasn't sure if it was because she was remembering or if she was still in pain. Either way, he hated to see it. He ran his thumb down her cheek.

"Bones, we don't have to do this."

"I need to know, Booth. Please."

"We analyzed the pictures, but didn't really find much. Then we found the car that hit the van and we were able to confirm that...he had taken you." Booth stopped. He didn't want to talk about what happened next.

"Booth?"

"That's when I was sent the video."

Bones closed her eyes. She knew about the video. She remembered him setting it up and laughing about how everyone who knew her was going to see it. She remembered thinking that the video was her only chance. She remembered thinking that Booth would be watching it.

"You saw it?" Of course she knew the answer to that question, but she had to ask. She had to know if Booth had seen what he did to her.

"Bones, I..." He was at a loss for words.

"Dr. Brennan." Dr. London walked into the room and stood next to her bedside. "Welcome back."

"Where did I go?" Brennan asked.

"Excuse me?"

"In order for you to say welcome back means that I went somewhere. Since I have in fact not gone anywhere and have been in this hospital bed for two days, the phrase welcome back is inappropriate," Brennan said.

Dr. London looked from Booth, who had an amused look on his face, back to Brennan.

"I'm Dr. London," he said, choosing to ignore Brennan's comments. "How is your pain?"

"Things are making more sense now, but…my...my left wrist hurts."

"We had to put in a metal rod. There was severe damage to both wrists. Let's take a look." Dr. London picked up Brennan's right hand. Booth concentrated on her face. "Can you squeeze my hand?" Wincing, Brennan curled her fingers around his hand. "Does that hurt?"

"A little," Brennan answered although Booth could tell it was more than a little.

"Alright, let's try the other one." Dr. London moved to the other side of the bed. Booth had to stand to get out of his way. He stayed next to her, though. Dr. London took her left hand in his. Immediately her eyes squeezed shut. "Can you squeeze my hand?" Brennan tried to curl her fingers. She took in a deep breath and Booth saw a tear leak from the corner of her eye. He wanted to lean down and kiss it away, but he refrained. She was trying to be strong and he was going to have to let her do what she needed to do. He looked down at her fingers and noticed they had barely moved.

"I...I can't," she said, struggling to speak without crying out.

"Put it down!" Booth exclaimed. "For God's sake, put her hand down! Can't you see she's in pain?"

Dr. London laid her hand down by her side. "Recovery is often a painful process, Mr. Booth," he said. He took the bag that was attached to her IV and looked at it. He pressed a button and medicine shot through the IV line. "This should help with your pain. You may have lost some function in your left wrist. When it's had more time to heal, we'll have you work with a physical therapist to see if we can get that function back."

"I need my hands," Brennan said. "And without my wrists, I can't use my hands. I need my hands."

"I know," Dr. London replied, giving her an encouraging smile. "We're going to do everything we can."

"What other injuries do I have?"

He picked up her chart that was hanging on the edge of her bed. He looked it over quickly.

"You've broken three ribs and..."

"Which ones?"

"Excuse me?"

"Which ribs?"

He turned to look at Booth. "Is she serious?"

"Very," Booth answered.

Dr. London looked back down at his chart. "Three, four, and seven," he answered. "One of your ribs punctured your lung, but we were able to repair it in surgery. You also had a severe concussion and your heart stopped twice, which gave us cause for concern. We weren't sure how long your brain may have been deprived of oxygen, but it looks like there won't be any long term side effects. Your brain seems to be working just fine."

"You can say that again," Booth responded.

"There was some trauma as a result of the rape." Booth looked up at Dr. London sharply. He took an unconscious step away from her bed. He hadn't thought about the r word. He had stricken it from his memory. But there it was, staring him in the face. "But we were able to repair those as well. Our biggest concern now overall is restoring function in your wrist, infection, and of course we'll continue to monitor your brain function."

"When I can I go home?"

"Dr. Brennan, you just woke up from being in a coma for two days as a result of very traumatic injury. You'll be here for a while."

"I'd very much like to go home," she said simply as if she said it nice enough, he would change his mind and let her go home.

"We'll get you home as soon as we can," Dr. London said. "I'm going to have someone bring you for a head CT, but for right now you should rest."

The doctor left the room. Brennan looked over at Booth. He was standing several feet from her bed, his eyes concentrating on the floor. She knew that look very well. It meant something was said made him uncomfortable. She was overcome by an overwhelming need for him to be near her. She wanted to feel his arm on hers. She wanted to feel his lips brushing against her forehead as they had done earlier.

"Booth?" He looked up at her and quickly looked down again. Brennan realized that he wouldn't meet her eyes, but she couldn't figure out why. She lifted her arm up, reaching out for him. "Booth, please."

This time when he looked up, he saw her hand reaching out for him. He immediately was at her side, pulling the plastic chair he had grown to know so well as close to her bed as possible.

"Don't," he said, putting his hand on her arm and guiding it back down to the bed. "You shouldn't move your wrists. I know you're in pain, Bones."

"It's not too bad now. He must have given me morphine."

"Does that mean you're going to get all loopy on me?" He asked, jokingly.

"I suppose that depends on how much he gave me. Morphine does often cause users to act inappropriately," she answered honestly. He shook his head and couldn't help but chuckle. "What?"

"You have no idea how much I've missed you," he said.

Author's Note: Thank you for the amazing, incredible, fantastic reviews from the last chapter. I don't think I've ever been as overwhelmed with kind words as I have been with this last chapter. Now, onto this chapter - I know Brennan talking and asking about what happened might seem a little early since she just woke up, but I felt Brennan's character would want to know immediately what had happened and I needed a way to keep this story interesting and flowing. I apologize if my inconsistencies with medical things makes the story less believable, but I'm no doctor! As always, thanks for reading!


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

Monday

8:45 PM

"She liked you," Brennan said.

"She did not," Booth replied.

"She was openly flirting with you and you were flirting back."

"Was not," he retorted.

"Most likely she's ovulating."

Booth nearly choked on the coffee he was drinking. "What? How can you know that?"

"Because when a woman ovulates she lets off copulins, which is a scent that attracts men. As a result, the man's testosterone level rises and they are inevitably attracted to each other. It all stems from our desire to procreate."

"You sure know how to take the fun out of flirting," Booth responded.

"So you admit it. You were flirting."

"I was not."

The woman in question was a nurse who had come to draw blood from Brennan. As soon as she had found out Booth was an FBI agent, she had casually brought up how much she loved watching cop dramas on TV. She had smiled and tossed her long, blonde hair and had done all the things that grabbed men's attention. Booth barely noticed. His focus remained on Brennan who was sitting up in bed. She looked better than she had the day before. Her cheeks held more color and her eyes were more vibrant. The bruise on her cheek had turned an ugly purple color, but it was a sign that she was healing.

"You were," Brennan insisted.

"I was being polite."

"She was most likely trying to get you to ask her out."

"And I didn't, did I?"

"Why didn't you?"

He didn't quite know how to answer that question. Of course he knew why he hadn't asked her out. The only person he wanted to ask out was lying right in front of him, but he couldn't tell her that…yet.

"Because I didn't want to."

They fell into a comfortable silence. Brennan flipped through a science magazine she had begged Booth to get her. She claimed she couldn't stand it another minute if she didn't have something intellectual to read. Booth picked out the sports section of the newspaper that was on his lap and began to read the front page. He didn't really care about the score of the basketball game, but he needed to look busy. Otherwise he would just sit there and stare at her and she would begin to ask him questions.

"Booth..." Brennan said after a few moments of silence. He looked up at her. She had a serious look on her face. Her magazine was folded neatly on the tray next to her bed.

"Yeah?"

"We never finished."

"Finished what?"

"Talking about what happened."

She was right. They hadn't finished talking about what had happened to Brennan. Booth had never answered her question about whether or not he had seen the video. He had to admit that he had purposely avoided bringing up the topic again. He was relieved that she hadn't asked about it. And it wasn't because they didn't have time to talk about it. In actuality, they had had plenty of time to talk about it. He had barely left her side. After Dr. London had left, Booth called everyone at the lab to tell them the good news. Brennan was brought to have her CT and when she returned, Cam, Hodgins, Angela, and Sweets were all gathered in her room. Despite the protests of the nurses, they all stayed until she fell asleep. Booth left with them, but only to get some more coffee. Even though he had told Brennan he would see in her in the morning, he had never left the hospital. After getting his coffee, he had snuck back into her room when she was asleep and spent the night on the sleeper chair. His back wasn't thrilled about it, but Booth wouldn't have had it any other way. He wasn't about to leave her. When she woke up in the morning, she just assumed that he had gotten there early and Booth was fine with that. She didn't need to know that he was doting over her like a child.

"I know you saw the tape," she said quietly. "Is that how you found me?"

He nodded, putting his newspaper down on the floor. "Hodgins and Angela noticed the Morse code. Casey decoded it."

"So they all saw it?"

He nodded again. "Bones...I...I'm so sorry."

"For what?"

He was taken aback by her question. How could she not know what he was sorry about?

"For...everything."

"It's not your fault, Booth."

She said it so simply, so purely that it made him stop. Everyone had told him that it wasn't his fault. Everyone had told him that there was nothing he could have done. He hadn't believed any of them. But, hearing those words come from her, he wondered if maybe she was right.

He looked at her with tears in his eyes. "I should have gotten to you sooner. I should have stopped him from getting to you at all."

"You couldn't have stopped that. You saved me. That's all that matters."

"But not soon enough."

"Booth..." She reached out her hand towards him and he linked his fingers through hers. He had learned quickly what movements caused her pain and what didn't. As long as he stayed away from her wrist, he could hold her hand and it didn't hurt her. "What happened to Collin Brown?"

Booth winced at the mention of the name. "He's gone."

"Gone? As in..."

"Dead. He'll never bother you or us ever again."

"How?"

"How what?"

"How did he die?"

Booth knew eventually he was going to have to face that question. Eventually he was going to have to admit to her what he did.

"I once told you that I had killed people, but that I never murdered anyone. I can't say that anymore. I murdered him, Bones. I shot him," he answered. He couldn't look at her. He was afraid he'd see disappointment in her eyes. He knew she hated killing as much as he did.

"Thank you."

He looked up at her, confused. "Thank you?"

"Yes, thank you for shooting him. I know you don't like to take lives, Booth. I know it's difficult for you, but thank you. You're not a murderer."

"I shot him in a crowd of people, Bones. I murdered him."

"You did what you had to do."

He reached up and pushed a piece of her hair away from her face. She smiled at him as a tear fell from her eye.

"Thank you. For saying that. Thank you."

He leaned in and kissed the tear away. It was a light kiss. His lips barely made contact with her skin, but it was enough. To his surprise, she didn't pull away. She didn't make any indication that she was going to run.

"Oh Bones...there are so many things I want to say. So many things I need to say."

He didn't continue. Brennan could see a pained look on his face. She tried to think about what Booth would say if he saw the same look on her face.

"You can tell me anything," she said, thinking it sounded like a Booth-like thing to say.

"No I can't," he replied.

"But we tell each other everything. We're partners. You're the one who always says that partners need to be open with each other to have a successful partnership."

He shook his head. "This is more than just partners," he said quietly.

"Tell me. Please." He knew he couldn't resist the please.

Booth opened his mouth to speak when he heard the sound of heels on the floor getting louder as they got closer. Angela appeared around the corner of the curtain.

"Hey sweetie," she said with a big smile on her face. She looked at Brennan and then at Booth and her smile faded. "Am I interrupting something?"

"No," Booth said, moving his body slightly away from Brennan's.

"Because I could come back if you two were having a moment or something."

"It's fine, Angela," Brennan assured her even though she couldn't help but be disappointed. She wanted to know what Booth was going to say. Even though they had spent almost every moment since she had woken up together, it seemed as if they were constantly being interrupted.

Booth stood up, thereby letting go of Brennan's hand. "Well, I'll let you two have your girl time. I'm going to grab a coffee. Do either of you want anything?"

"I'll take a coffee," Brennan said.

"The doctor said no caffeine," Booth reminded her.

"I was hoping you had forgotten."

"No chance," he said, leaning over to kiss her forehead. Angela wanted to squeal out loud, but she kept it to herself. "Have fun," Booth said before walking out of the room.

"Ok, spill," Angela said, sitting down on the chair that Booth had occupied.

"I don't know what that means," Brennan replied.

"It means tell me what was going on in this room before I walked in. You two were practically having sex with your eyes."

"I don't know what that means, either."

"Brennan, what's going on?"

"Nothing," she answered.

"No, that's not going to cut it this time. Something is changing between you and Booth. Even you have to realize that."

"He's being very...supportive. That's all."

"I don't believe you. Sweetie, he hasn't left this room."

"He isn't here now. And he left last night. And he leaves when he has to use the bathroom or..."

"That's not what I meant. From the moment he found out you were missing, he went crazy. He never stopped looking for you. He didn't sleep. He didn't eat."

"Booth didn't eat? I find that very hard to believe."

"The point is, sweetie, that he was a wreck without you. And then when they found you, he wouldn't leave your side. He nearly lost it when he had to wait in the waiting room when you were in surgery. I think if they let him, he would have been standing in the operating room assisting."

"Well that's just not plausible. No hospital would have allowed that."

Angela shook her head and thought about her next words very carefully. She knew she didn't have the right to tell Brennan how Booth really felt. That was his prerogative, but she sure as hell was going to drop a few hints.

"Brennan, the man has feelings for you."

"Of course he does. We're partners. We work together every day. It would be difficult to spend that much time with a person and not develop some sort of feelings for that person."

Angela took a deep breath. Talking to Brennan was harder than she imagine. "Just think about this...actually don't think. Just answer."

"Angela, it's entirely impossible for me to not think. We're all thinking all the time. Even when we're asleep, there is a part of our brain that..."

"Just go with me, Brennan. Please?"

"Ok. Fine."

"Alright. Answer me this...who was the first person you wanted to see when you woke up?"

"Booth," she answered quickly. She blinked rapidly in disbelief at how quickly she answered Angela's question. She hadn't stopped to think about it. She hadn't stopped to rationalize her answer.

"And who do you want to call when something good happens?"

"Booth."

"Who do you want to call when something bad happens?"

"Bad things don't usually…"

"Just answer. Who do you want to call when something bad happens?"

"Booth."

"And who would you rather have sitting right here instead of me?"

"Booth." Brennan realized her answer and suddenly felt ashamed. "I'm sorry, Angela. It's not that I don't like your company. I..."

"You don't have to explain. Trust me, I get it."

"I don't."

"Look, sweetie, I don't want to tell you how you feel, but you're in love with the man."

"What?" Brennan felt completely stunned. She could feel heat rising in her cheeks. "No. Love is nothing more than elevated levels of endorphins and..."

"Love is love. No matter how you break it down, love is when you find someone that you can't stand to be without. When you find someone you want to share all your good days as well as your bad days with. Whether you want to admit it or not, you and Booth have been in love for a very long time. You've just been missing one very important part."

"What's that?"

"Sex."

"Sex is just a biological need to procreate."

"That may be true, but it also feels damn good. And trust me, you and Booth would have mind blowing sex."

"How do you know?"

"Because you've had years of pent up sexual tension built up."

"Angela, I...I…"

"No. No more arguing. No more denying."

"But…"

"No more arguing."

"What if he doesn't feel the same way?" Brennan blurted out before she even knew what she was saying.

Angela smiled. "Listen to me, Booth hasn't left your side for two days. I don't think you need to worry about how he feels."

"But I don't believe in love and monogamy and all of those things that Booth does. I mean, what if we give it a shot and it doesn't work out? What if we lose what we have? I don't want to lose that."

"Sweetie, some things are worth the risk. It was worth it for Hodgins and I."

"I don't know."

"Just think about it. There's more to life than looking at dead people, Brennan."

Author's Note: I apologize for not updating sooner. It's been a busy couple of days. I hope you liked the girl talk! Don't forget to review!


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

Monday

10:02 PM

When Booth reappeared in Brennan's room, he saw Angela flipping through the science magazine he had brought Brennan earlier. Her head was resting on her arm, which was resting on the arm of the chair. Considering how fast she was flipping through the pages of the magazine, she obviously wasn't reading it. Booth looked at her, knowing the look in her eyes very well. She was bored.

Booth averted his eyes to Brennan. Her eyes were closed and her bed had been repositioned so she was lying down. By the slow rising and falling of her chest, Booth knew she was asleep. He made his way into the room quietly so as not to wake her. He knew she needed all the rest she could get.

"Thank God," Angela whispered.

Booth began to panic. "What happened? Is she ok?"

"What?"

"Did something happen?"

"Nothing happened except that I was getting bored stiff sitting here by myself."

Booth rolled his eyes. "You scared me to death, Angela," he hissed.

"What's scary is that people actually read this…stuff." She closed the magazine, stood up, and put the magazine back on the table next to Brennan. "I don't know how anyone can understand a word that's written in here. Give me Cosmo any day."

"I don't know how anyone can understand Cosmo," Booth joked. Angela did not smile. "How long has she been asleep?"

"Only twenty minutes."

"You're bored after only twenty minutes?"

"I like to be stimulated." Booth raised his eyebrows. "That was probably too much information. Anyway, the doctors came in and gave her something to help her sleep so she'll probably be out for the night."

"That's good. She needs to sleep."

"She's still in a lot of pain, huh?"

Booth nodded. "She tries to hide it, but it's not easy. I think it's her wrist that's the worst."

"That bastard sure did a number on her."

"Yeah, he did."

Booth hung his head. He did not like talking about Collin Brown.

"How many times do we have to tell you? This wasn't your fault," Angela said quietly as she put her hand on his arm.

"Thanks."

Angela chose to change the subject. "What do her doctors say? Can we take her home any time soon?"

He shrugged. "If Bones has anything to say about it, she'll be home tomorrow, but they're still keeping their eye on her. Dr. London mentioned to me today that they might need to go in and operate again on her wrist."

"Why?"

"Something about improving the function in her wrist. Bones told him all about this research she read about a new procedure that can be used in place of bones. I didn't understand a word of what they were saying to each other."

"I don't understand half of what Brennan says. But, if she thinks that's what's best, then I'd bet my life that she's right."

"Me too."

Angela picked her purse up off the floor.

"Are you going to stay with her tonight?"

"I…" He was going to deny that he had spent the night before in her room, but he didn't. He knew Angela would somehow see right through him. "How did you know I slept here last night?"

"I saw the folded up blanket and pillow underneath the sleeper chair." She pointed to where he had tried to conceal the items. He didn't want Brennan to know that he had spent the night. "You're not the only one who can find evidence."

"You're a smart woman, Angela."

"Tell me something I don't know. So, are you going to stay?"

"Yeah, I'm going to stay. I can't leave her. Not yet. But please, don't tell her. If she finds out I'm staying overnight, she'll only yell at me to go home and she'll tell me to stop worrying about her."

"Your secret is safe with me. But, Cam did want me to tell you that, in her professional opinion, it would be better for your back if you slept on the floor rather than in that sleeper chair for another night."

"Cam? Does the whole lab know that I'm spending nights here?"

"Just Cam, Hodgins, Sweets, and me," she said, smiling.

"So, the whole lab knows," Booth said, sighing. "Wait a minute, who told Sweets?"

"He was on the speed dial," Angela answered, smiling.

"That's not funny," Booth said.

"Sweets sort of guessed. As matter of fact, he was the one who suggested I look for evidence of you having stayed over."

"Oh, he did, did he?"

"He really knows what he's talking about."

"Yeah, great. It'll just be another thing for him to use as ammunition when we go to therapy."

"Well, maybe if you play your cards right, you won't have to go to therapy anymore."

"What does that mean?"

"That means I'm leaving and putting her in your hands." She walked over to Brennan's bed and kissed her on the cheek. She headed for the exit. "Have a good night, Booth." She walked out the door, but reappeared a second later. "Oh, and Booth?"

"Yeah?"

"Give her a chance."

"A chance for what?"

"I think you know. You're afraid, but don't be. She might not run."

Angela disappeared again.

"Angela!" He called out softly. He still didn't want to wake Brennan. When she didn't reappear, Booth shook his head. He didn't quite know what Angela's cryptic message meant. He guessed it was a woman thing. Angela had probably spent the time with Brennan discussing their relationship might have just opened up some very good possibilities for him.

Booth took the few steps over to Brennan's bed. Just as he had done in his office days earlier, before the nightmare of Collin Brown had consumed them both, he watched her sleep. Her breathing was slightly more labored and her beautiful features were covered in black and blue bruises, but he looked at her with the same love and affection that he had in his office.

"Goodnight Bones," he whispered as he leaned and kissed her on the forehead.

Booth walked quietly over to the sleeper chair and picked up his pillow and blanket. He pushed the back of the chair and pulled on the foot rest so that the chair extended out as far as it would go. He looked at it with resentment. He knew it would be another uncomfortable night, but it was all worth it. He was going to be there for her, even if it meant waking up with a backache. Booth kicked off his shoes and plopped himself in the chair. He adjusted the flat pillow under his head and threw the blanket over himself. From the knees down, his legs dangled over the edge of the chair. He tried to curl up so his legs were actually on the chair, but that wasn't helping. Instead, he turned onto his side. From that position, he had the perfect view of her.

"I love you," he whispered as he closed his eyes and eventually fell asleep.

Tuesday

2:37 AM

He could hear noise, but he did not want to get up. His back felt like it had been twisted in two different directions and his neck felt like it had a thousand needles poking into it, but he did not want to get up. He wanted to stay asleep as long as possible. He grumbled and rolled onto his back. Then he heard the noise again. It wasn't his alarm clock or his cell phone. It was a voice. He tried to recognize it. The only person who ever woke him up was Parker when he wanted pancakes for breakfast or wanted to go to the park at some obnoxiously early time. The voice definitely wasn't Parker's.

Booth's subconscious battled his brain. Under no circumstances did he want to wake up. But then he heard it. His name. Booth's eyes shot open. He frantically looked around, trying to remember where he was. He knew immediately when he saw her through the darkness. Her body was shaking. He could see the beads of sweat on her forehead. He knew instantly that the sounds he had heard were coming from her. She was mumbling under her breath in her sleep. Her cheeks were stained with tears.

Booth scrambled off the sleeper chair. He nearly fell as he got tangled in the thin blanket he had on. He rushed to her side. He knew immediately she was having a nightmare.

"Bones," he said quietly.

He didn't want to jar her awake. He had read an article about how dangerous it could be to wake someone up too suddenly from a nightmare. He could barely make out what she was saying. He thought he heard his name again and the world 'please' in a pleading tone. He knew instantly what she was dreaming about.

"Bones," he said louder. He put his hand on her cheek. Her skin was burning up. "Come on, Bones, wake up." He started to rub her arm, up and down from shoulder to just above her wrist, hoping the physical contact would wake her. "Open your eyes, Bones. Come on."

"Please," she whispered.

Booth put his hands on her shoulders and lightly shook her as he repeated her name over and over again. He looked at the call button next to her bed that would immediately call someone for assistance. Booth wondered if he should call someone to help him. He wondered if the doctors could give her something to wake her up from her nightmare. He decided against it.

"Bones, it's me. It's Booth. Please wake up for me. Please."

He shook her harder, hoping he wasn't hurting her. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her. As he shook her body, her mumbling began to lessen and Booth could feel her body relaxing. He put his hand in hers as he stroked her hair with his other hand. He could see her brow furrow as she struggled to open her eyes.

"Booth?" She called out with her eyes still closed.

"I'm here, Bones, I'm right here. Just open your eyes."

She opened them slowly. It took her a few seconds to actually focus on his face.

"You're here."

"I'm here."

She squeezed his hand.

"Why? Why are you here? It's the middle of the night. You should be at home."

He should have known that she would have been logical about the whole thing. She didn't ask what had happened or what she had said. She asked why he was there.

"I'm right where I should be. I told you I'd never leave you. I intend on keeping that promise."

She took a deep breath, trying to keep it together, but she couldn't. He saw her lip tremble and her face break.

"Oh Booth," she sobbed.

Fresh tears fell from her eyes, soaking into the pillow she was resting on.

"It's ok," he said, running his thumb across her cheek, drying her tears. "It's going to be ok."

"He was there," she said.

"In your dream?"

She nodded. "I remember everything. I remember waking up and tasting blood and feeling pain...so much pain. And I couldn't see...I thought...I thought I was blind. I was so afraid."

"You're safe now."

"He...he hurt me, Booth. He hurt me."

"I know, Bones. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

He felt his heart breaking. Just as it did when he found out she was missing, it broke all over again. He had been powerless to stop her from getting hurt. If they had never met, if he had never agreed to let her work with him, she would be safe in her lab. He couldn't stop thinking about that. The only thing he knew to do was to be there for her. Booth quickly made a decision. He sat down on the edge of her bed and swung his legs up so he was lying down next to her.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"Keeping you safe," he answered.

He settled down next to her, lying down on his side so he could face her. He never took his hand away from hers. She scooted over as much as she could to allow him more room. The bed definitely wasn't designed for two, but they made it work. He wrapped his arm around her waist, being careful to avoid her injuries. Even though she couldn't lie on her side, she turned her head towards him. She tucked her head in the crook of his neck, resting her chin on his shoulder. He gently pulled her closer until their bodies were pressed together. He kissed his spot on her forehead as she cried. He whispered soothing remarks against her hair. He wanted to stop her tears. He wanted to make sure she never cried, but he knew she had to. She hadn't really cried about what had happened. Sure, she had let a few tears escape when she was in excruciating pain, but she hadn't cried over what happened to her. Booth knew she had to cry, so he let her.

Author's Note: Well, I just had to write a "Booth holds her while she's sleeping" scene. I just couldn't resist. As for the whole sleeper chair thing, the idea came from my brother-in-law complaining when he had to stay in the hospital with my sister after my nephew was born. He just kept complaining about the sleeper chair and I just had to add it in! Thank you for reading and please review!


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

Tuesday

8:36 AM

Brennan felt something weighing her down. She was about to panic, realizing that she was immobile. The last time she had woken up that way, she had been dangling from her wrists in a basement. But this was different. This time, she wasn't afraid. She wasn't in pain. She was comfortable and warm and she felt safe. Brennan opened her eyes slowly and found herself looking directly into Booth's closed eyes. Their noses were as close as possible without touching. She knew she should move. She should put more space between them, but she didn't. Instead, she watched him. She listened to his soft breathing. She watched the rise and fall of his chest. She wished she could reach out and touch him, but his arm was draped over her body protectively and she couldn't easily move. Not to mention that her wrist had started to ache and moving it would only make the pain worse. Sighing in contentment, Brennan closed her eyes and allowed herself to get lost in the moment. She could very easily get used to waking up with him.

After a few minutes, Brennan knew she was going to have to move as her ribs started to throb. She tried to shift, but the bed was small and she was running the risk of falling off. That definitely wouldn't help the pain. She looked at Booth, not wanting to wake him, but she had to move. She started by using her hips to roll her so she could lean on her side. Her body cried out in protest. She sometimes forgot just how injured she really was. She sighed and closed her eyes one more time. She wanted one more minute of feeling what it was like to be wrapped in his arms. She wanted one more minute of feeling like his.

"Booth," Brennan whispered.

He didn't move. From the many stake-outs they had been on, she knew he was a sound sleeper. It took a lot to wake up Seeley Booth. Using her shoulder, Brennan attempted to push against him, but she had little strength. She was barely able to bump him, but the body contact did electrify her. She started to focus on every inch of her that was connected to him. Their knees were touching, his arm was around her waist, her right foot rested on his left. At each point of contact she felt little jolts of electricity flowing through her. She closed her eyes and couldn't help but let out a little moan.

"Bones?" She opened her eyes and saw him staring straight at her. "Are you in pain?" He immediately began to back away from her, afraid that he was causing her pain. She missed his contact.

"No. I…I'm fine."

He settled back down. They weren't as close as before, but with the confines of the bed, they were still very close.

"How'd you sleep?" He asked.

"Perfectly."

He reached up and pushed a strand of hair away from her face. It should have been awkward. Waking up wrapped in his arms should have been awkward, but it was anything but. They were both so completely comfortable that it felt like they had been waking up next to each other forever. There were no awkward silences. There was no awkward scrambling or excuses.

"Good," he said.

As he spoke, his warm breath tickled her face. The longing to touch him became even greater. She went to reach out to touch him when the pain shot through her arm. Her eyes immediately squeezed shut.

"You are in pain." He went to move again.

"Please…stay," she said barely above a whisper.

"I'm not going anywhere," he said, kissing her forehead. "I just can't stand to see you in pain."

She nodded and he slid slowly off the bed. He stood up, stretching out his arms and back. He watched her reposition herself to the middle of the bed. Her eyes stayed close and her teeth were clenched together as she tried to fight through the pain. He didn't say anything as she tried to move into a more comfortable position. Instead, he just watched her, wishing there was something he could do. After a few moments, she finally stopped moving. Her eyes stayed closed for several minutes longer. Finally, she opened them and looked at him. He was standing right next to her bed as he had promised.

"Thank you," she said.

"For what?"

"For not leaving me."

"I'll never leave you."

"You didn't have to stay with me last night."

"Yes I did. Because I know you'd do the same thing for me."

She smiled, knowing that she would. She might not have been bold enough to climb into bed with him, but she would have stayed.

"You stayed the night before, too, didn't you?"

"How did you?"

"I saw the blanket and pillow before."

"I've taught you too well."

"You're going to throw out your back if you sleep on that chair."

"Don't worry about my back."

"Why? You're worried about me."

Booth put his hand on her arm.

"That's different."

"Why is it different?"

"Because of what you've…been through." He paused, carefully considering his next question. He wasn't sure if he was ready to hear about everything that happened, but he needed her to know that regardless of what he was ready for, if she was ready to talk about it, he would be there. "Do you want to talk about it? Your nightmare?"

"It wasn't a nightmare," she insisted.

That was not the reaction he was expecting. "Bones, you were mumbling in your sleep. You were trembling. You were terrified. If that's not the definition of a nightmare, I don't know what is."

"I was not terrified. And the definition of a nightmare is a dream that can cause a strong, negative response from the sleeper. It often has physical causes like fever or discomfort, but some argue that it can have psychological causes such as stress and anxiety, although I don't see any proof considering psychology can't be tested or..."

"Listen to what you're saying. Everything you just said describes what you had. You were afraid, Bones. And it's nothing to be ashamed of. Everyone has nightmares and considering what you've been through…"

"I am not ashamed. Rationally speaking, nightmares can't hurt you so there's nothing to be scared of. Everyone knows that."

"Just because they can't hurt you, doesn't mean that they're not scary, Bones. Maybe you should…talk to someone."

"I'm talking to you right now."

"That's not what I meant. Maybe…maybe you should talk to Sweets."

"Why would I talk to Sweets?"

"About what happened, Bones."

"I don't need to talk to Sweets about what happened. Between talking to you and my memories, which are becoming clearer...I know what happened to me. I don't need to talk about it."

"It's not about figuring out what happened to you, Bones. It's about figuring out how to deal with it."

"I'm dealing with it just fine."

"Is that why you had a nightmare/?"

"It was not a nightmare!" She shouted.

"Why are you being defensive?"

"Because you're attacking me!"

"I am not attacking you," Booth stated. "I'm just trying to help you."

"Well, you're not helping!"

"I'm not helping? I haven't left your side, Bones! A minute ago you were thanking me for being here!"  
"Well, obviously I was mistaken!"

"So, what? You want me to go?"

"Yes!"

"Fine!"

Booth stormed out of the room. If there was a door he could slam, he would have slammed it. He got halfway down the hallway and stopped in his tracks.

Brennan watched him go. As soon as he was gone, she felt the emptiness in the room. She hadn't meant what she said. She didn't really want him to go. She was just afraid. She took a deep breath, wondering what she had done. She had pushed away the one person she needed more than anybody else.

"Booth," she said pleadingly.

She knew he couldn't hear her. She wished she could get out of the bed. She wished she could follow him and tell him that she made a mistake. Normally in their partnership when they got in an argument, she would storm off to the lab and he would go to his office and just a few short hours later they would meet for lunch or dinner and everything would be fine. She didn't have that opportunity. They wouldn't be able to go to the diner to resolve everything. She felt the tears welling in her eyes. She blinked them away, but they were only replaced by more tears. Finally, she just let them fall.

In the hallway, Booth leaned against the wall. He couldn't understand what had happened. Just the night before, after waking up from her nightmare, she had talked to him about what had happened. And before that, she had asked him to tell her what happened. He couldn't understand why suddenly she was pushing him away, refusing to talk about her experience.

It wasn't shocking to him that they had a fight. They often fought about the most unimportant things, but it was how the fight ended that shocked him. She had asked him to leave. She didn't want him anymore. Maybe Angela was wrong. Maybe she didn't have the feelings for him that he had for her. Booth looked down the hall towards her room. He knew she wouldn't come walking out after him. That would be impossible. He wondered if he should go back in. He told her he would never leave her, but he had walked out.

"Mr. Booth?" Booth looked the other way down the hall and saw the nurse who had been flirting with him while taking Brennan's blood walking towards him. "You're the FBI guy, right?"

"Yeah."

Booth looked back towards Brennan's room. "That woman in there…she's not your girlfriend is she?"

"What?" He was barely listening to what she was saying. He was still trying to decide if he was going to go back to Brennan's room.

"The patient…the one you've been visiting. She's not your girlfriend, is she? Because if she's not, I get out at five tonight and I'd really love to…"

"I'm sorry," Booth said, making up his mind. "I have to go." He started to head back down the hall.

"But…she's not your girlfriend right?"

"Not yet," he replied.

He walked down to Brennan's room. He knew there were two very real possibilities of what could happen when he walked in that room. Either they would sit in silence for a little while until they forgot about what happened or she would yell at him and throw him out again. Either way, going back in was definitely worth the risk.

As he made his way into the room, he heard her crying. He rushed to her bedside. He could see the tears on her face.

"What? What is it? Are you in pain? Should I get Dr. London?"

She looked at him with a shocked expression.

"You came back," she said. Her tears began to slow.

"Of course I came back. Are you ok?"

"I…I'm fine."

"Then why are you crying?"

"Because I…" She couldn't admit to him what was really making her cry. She was afraid to admit it even to herself. "I'm sorry for yelling."

"It's ok, Bones. It's what we do. We bicker. We argue. But we always come back together. We're the center of the circle, Bones. Remember? We always come back together."

Booth took a tissue and dabbed Brennan's cheeks, wiping the tears away.

"You can't keep doing this."

"Doing what?"

"Being here all the time. I appreciate it, Booth, I do. You don't know how much it means to me, but you have to go home."

"Are you kicking me out again?"

"No. But you need to go home, Booth. You can't spend another night here. It's not good for your back."

"You need to stop worrying about my back. Besides, if I stay here with you," he said, pointing to the bed. "It's not bad for my back."

He was flirting with her. It wasn't the first time he had flirt with her and it wouldn't be the last, but it was the first time he had done it so openly.

"Booth, this is bed isn't big enough for both of us to be comfortable," she said rationally. Sometimes he hated how rational she was. "You need to go home. Get some real sleep. Eat a real meal besides hospital food. Spend time with Parker. Go back to work."

"Those things can wait," Booth said.

"No. They can't."

"Bones, I really don't want to have another argument."

"Then don't argue with me. You said we were the core of the circle, Booth. You said we held everyone together. You need to hold things together in my absence."

"I don't know if I can hold things together without you."

"Yes, you can. I need you to, Booth. I need to know that everything's being taken care of while I'm here. You don't have to be here every minute. I'm going to be ok."

He nodded. "I know." He took a deep breath. He didn't want to leave her, but he knew she was right. "Fine, I'll go, but I'll be back."

"I know you will."

Booth bent over and kissed her forehead, making sure he hit his spot.

"Goodbye, Bones."

"Goodbye, Booth."

He kissed her forehead one last time before walking out the door.

Author's Note: I couldn't resist a little argument between our favorite couple. I hope you liked it!


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

2 Weeks Later

Tuesday

11:47 AM

Booth sat at his desk, staring at his new computer monitor. His fingers lingered over his keyboard, ready to type, but he didn't know what he wanted to say. He knew that the report had to get written. He had put it off long enough. His superiors had been lenient with him, knowing that he was spending so much time at the hospital, but they were starting to breathe down his neck. The report needed to be written. The problem was, he didn't want to write it.

Booth took a poker chip out of his pocket and began flipping it through his fingers. He reached for the report that Casey had written and given to him. His story was supposed to match hers, but he wasn't sure if he could consciously stretch the truth like she had. He took a deep breath. He knew what he had done. Booth was going to have to live with that. Booth typed a few words, but then erased them. Nothing sounded right and it didn't help that he was not in the mood to write up a report. What he really wanted to do was see Brennan. He hadn't seen her all day. He had told himself that he had to write the report before he allowed himself to see her. He was using seeing her as a reward, but she would never know that.

Booth had gone to the hospital every day for two weeks. On most days, Booth stopped by early in the morning and they had breakfast together. Mostly, he picked off her hospital tray since she didn't like the hospital food, but Booth considered it to be the second best part of his day. The absolute best part was going to visit her after work. They would sit and talk, or sit and not talk, but it was just being there with her was what made him the happiest. Eventually she would fall asleep and he would watch her. Occasionally he would fall asleep in the sleeper chair in her room and would wake up in the middle of the night. He wished he could crawl into bed with her the way he did that one night, but she had no more nightmares so he stuck to stroking her hair or putting his hand on her arm instead.

Booth was pulled out of his thoughts about Brennan when he heard a knock at his door. He looked up and saw Casey standing in the doorway.

"Getting a lot of work done?" Casey asked. Booth wasn't sure how long she had been standing there, but she obviously had been there long enough to notice that he was doing more daydreaming than typing. Knowing Casey, he guessed that she knew exactly who he was daydreaming about.

"I'm writing up the report," Booth answered. He put the poker chip down and got ready to start typing again.

"Why do I not believe you?"

Casey walked into his office and sat down in one of the chairs in front of his desk.

"I'm busy, Casey," he said.

"Yeah, busy thinking about a certain doctor friend."

"I wasn't thinking about Bones."

"How did you know I was talking about Dr. Brennan? I could have been talking about Dr. Hodgins or Dr. Saroyan," she teased.

"Did you want something? Or did you just come in here to bug me?"

"Mostly bug you," she answered, smiling. "I heard Dr. Brennan is doing much better."

"Yeah, she is."

"Did she have that second surgery on her wrist?"

"Yeah, she had some specialist from Boston come in to perform it. She's still recovering, but she has a lot more mobility in her left wrist so things are good."

"I'm glad to hear it. Do you need help with your report?"

Booth sighed. "I'm going to get to it, Casey."

"It's been more than two weeks since the incident."

"I know the time frame."

"Then you know that they've been expecting that report for a while now."

"I'll get the report done."

"Look, I know you're not comfortable with…my report, but…"

"I'm going to write it up just like you did. Don't worry. I just haven't gotten around to it yet, but I will. You can tell whoever pressured you to come down and talk to me that it will be done by the end of today."

She nodded. "Well, I have my own paperwork to get to." She stood up and began to walk out.

"Thanks Casey," Booth said. "For everything."

His cell phone began to ring. He picked it up off his desk and smiled at it.

"Let me guess…that would be Dr. Brennan," Casey said with a big smile on her face.

Booth didn't respond. He flipped open his phone and put it to his ear. Casey stood in the doorway and rolled her eyes. She couldn't understand how two people could be so oblivious about each other. Smirking, Casey walked way.

"Booth," he answered.

"Hey, Booth it's me." Just the sound of her voice made his eyes light up.

"Hey, Bones what's going on?"

"They're releasing me today."

He nearly jumped out of his chair. "What? Today?"

"They're just waiting for a few more test results, but I should be able to go home around five."

"Are you sure? I mean, are they sure that you're ready?"

"Booth, it's been two weeks."

"I know, but with that second surgery last week…I just want to make sure you're ready."

"Are you worrying about me again?"

"Of course, Bones. I'm always worried about you."

"Well, you don't have to worry. I'm fine. And I'm ready to go home. Dr. London just says I have to stay away from extraneous activities and I've already arranged for a registered nurse to visit occasionally."

"Wait, you arranged for a visiting nurse? Why?"

"Because I need someone to help me with some aspects of my recovery."

"Bones, I can…"

"We don't need to discuss this right now. I've already made the decision. It's the most logical decision."

"Yeah, but…if you need a nurse then maybe you're not ready."

"I'm fine, Booth. I'm going home today and soon I'll be back to work."

Both scoffed.

"I don't think so, Bones."

"Excuse me?"

"What did Dr. London say about going to work?"

"He didn't say anything."

He could hear the pitch in her voice change. "You're a bad liar, Bones."

"I'm not lying. He didn't specifically state how long I should stay out of work."

"Then what did he say, Bones?"

"He said I should refrain from work for four to six weeks, but obviously that's a gross exaggeration. I feel ready to go back to work."

"Bones, you are going to listen to your doctor."

"But I am a doctor so really I only have to listen to myself."

Booth sighed. "We'll talk about this when I pick you up."

"You don't need to pick me up. I can get a taxi…"

"You are not going home from the hospital in a taxi. I'll be there at five."

"It might take them longer to get my test results back. I can always call you when I'm actually ready to be picked up. I would hate for you to be waiting around…"

"I'll be there at five," he repeated. "I'll be there before five."

"Booth?"

"Yeah?"

"You need to finish that report before you pick me up."

"How did you…"

"I heard you talking about it on your phone the other day. Finish the report, Booth, or I will take a taxi."

"Are you giving me an ultimatum?"

"Yes."

Booth shook his head. It constantly amazed him how she always seemed to know everything.

"I'll see you at five, Bones."

He hung up his phone and turned back to the computer screen. Now he had no choice but to finish the report because he knew somehow she would know if he didn't.

5:46 PM

Brennan slammed her laptop shut and huffed. From his plastic chair next to her bed, Booth looked over at her. He noticed the scowl on her face. He had seen that look many times. Usually it was directed at him.

"Are you mad about something, Bones?" Booth asked, looking over the top of his newspaper.

"It's been forty-five minutes."

"Forty-six," Booth corrected as he glanced down at his watch.

"They said I would be released at five."

"You told me that they were waiting for some test results and that you would be going home around five. Be patient, Bones."

"I want to go home."

"Now you just sound like Parker during a long car ride."

"You're not helping. I told you you didn't have to come at five. I told you I would call you when I was ready or I would take a taxi."

"I'm not the one who's complaining. You are."

"Is that why you've been reading the same section of the newspaper since we got here?"

Booth looked at the newspaper. He had been reading the business section since he had arrived. In reality, he hadn't really been reading it at all. He had been too busy sneaking glances at Brennan. She had been working diligently at her computer, writing her novel. He couldn't help but wonder exactly what she was working on. All he knew was at one point she looked over at him, blushing. When he met her eyes, she quickly turned her attention back to the computer. Something had definitely made her embarrassed.

"I haven't been reading…" He decided to give up. "So, what are you working on?"

"My next book," Brennan answered.

"Am I in it?"

"No."

"But the hunky FBI guy is, right?"

"He is one of the main characters so yes, he is in the book."

"Was he in the particular scene you were writing?" Booth asked.

"Yes."

"What was he doing in this particular scene?"

"He was…investigating." Her voice was raised an octave. It was subtle, but Booth knew she wasn't being entirely truthful. By the pink in her cheeks, he had a feeling that investigating was a code word for something else.

"Investigating, huh?"

"He's an FBI agent so he was investigating."

"Was he investigating with Kathy?" Booth asked, raising his eyebrow. In one swift motion, Booth stood up and reached over her bed for her laptop. He pulled it onto his lap and opened it.

"Booth! Don't!"

Brennan went to reach for her computer. She was still restricted by wires that she was still connected to, but Booth was impressed by just how much motion she had gained back. She no longer winced when she moved her hands and her ribs had begun to heal so they didn't cause her as much pain.

"I just want to see what you're working on Bones," he said.

He sat back down in his chair and then slid the chair back further away from her bed so she couldn't reach him. The document she had been working on was still up on the computer.

"You know I don't let you read my books before they come out. And this one is just a draft. A very, very rough draft."

"What are you afraid of, Bones?"

"It hasn't even been edited, Booth. It's…"

Booth started skimming it. He really was looking for key words that meant that Kathy and her FBI hunk were 'investigating.'

"Dr. Brennan."

Both Booth and Brennan looked towards the door as Dr. London walked in. He was holding a file folder in his hand as he walked to the foot of Brennan's bed.

"May I go home now?" Brennan asked. She eyed Booth and he reluctantly closed the laptop.

"We did get your test results back and yes, Dr. Brennan, we will be discharging you."

Brennan started pushing the blankets off of her. She started to get tangled in the wires that surrounded her.

"Hold on, Bones," Booth said, standing to help her.

"Dr. Brennan, I know we already went over some of your restrictions, but I just want to go over them with you again," Dr. London said as he started to disconnect her from the monitors she was connected to.

"I'm not a child. I remember what we discussed," Brennan said as she slowly threw her legs over the side of the bed. She had been up and around for more than week, but she still moved more slowly than she would have liked.

"I would like to know what you discussed," Booth said.

"You're not my caretaker," Brennan replied. "I told you, I hired a registered nurse to assist me."

"Doc, what are her restrictions?" Booth asked.

"No heavy lifting," Dr. London explained. "Go light on the typing. Your wrists still need to heal, Dr. Brennan. No alcohol beverages while you're on the medication. No extraneous activity." He looked over at Booth, giving him a knowing smile. "No sexual activity for at least two more weeks…"

"We don't have sexual intercourse," Brennan stated.

Booth coughed. He sometimes forgot just how open Brennan could be.

"What she means is we're just…partners. We work together."

"You shouldn't go back to work for at least four weeks," Dr. London continued.

"You hear that, Bones. Four weeks," Booth said, looking at her sternly.

"We'll be monitoring your progress closely. You'll have to come back to the hospital weekly for blood tests and you'll continue seeing your physical therapist."

"Can I go home now?" Brennan asked.

Dr. London nodded. "Yes, Dr. Brennan. You can go home now."

Brennan slid off the bed until her feet touched the floor. Booth stood in front of her, making sure she was steady enough to stand on her own.

"I'm fine, Booth," she assured him. He nodded and took a small step back. He was still close enough that if she needed him, he'd be there.

"Well, I'll see you in a few days, Dr. Brennan," Dr. London said. He shook her hand and then shook Booth's hand before leaving.

"I'm going to get changed," Brennan said. Booth picked up a pile of her clothes from the sleeper chair and brought them over to her.

"Do you need help?"

"I'm capable of changing by myself, Booth."

He nodded, knowing she would say that. In a small way, he missed the moments when she needed him. When she was less mobile and still recovering, she needed him to do the little things like push her tray closer to her, get her a magazine or a book, and even spoon feed her when she first arrived at the hospital.

"Booth?"

He hadn't realized he had been daydreaming. "Yeah?"

"Could you turn around?"

"Oh…yeah, of course."

Booth turned his back. He could hear shuffling as Brennan changed out of her hospital gown and into her clothes. He knew it was wrong of him, but he couldn't help but want to turn around.

"Booth?" Brennan said.

"I think…I think I do need your help."

Booth turned around. He couldn't help but stare at her. It had been so long since he had seen her looking like her. She was wearing a simple pair of Jeans and a red, button down shirt. The only problem was the button down shirt wasn't buttoned.

"My wrists…I can't…"

Booth didn't let her finish. He stepped in front of her and, never taking his eyes off hers, he buttoned her shirt. As he made it to the second to last button, he couldn't help but let his fingers brush over the delicate skin of her collarbone.

"Let's go home, Bones."

Author's Note: I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. I hope you had a lot of fun reading it. Happy Memorial Day weekend, everybody!


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

Tuesday

6:30 PM

Booth put his car into park and turned off the engine. Brennan was staring out the passenger side window at her apartment building. Booth quickly opened his door, went around the car, and opened her door before Brennan could even reach for the handle.

"I can open my own door, Booth," Brennan said.

"Are we going to argue about this again?"

He put out his hand and Brennan put her right hand in his. He looked at the brace that was still wrapped around her wrist. Seeing it tugged at his heart. He helped her out of the car. He noticed her squeeze her eyes shut momentarily as her feet landed on the ground. He had to remember that she wasn't completely healed yet. Her ribs were still broken and she was still recovering from the surgery of having her lung repaired. When looking at her, it was easy to forget what she had gone through. She had been so strong through the entire ordeal.

"Booth? You can let go of my hand now."

He hadn't realized he was holding her hand so tightly. He immediately let her go.

"Oh, sorry," he mumbled. "I'll get your bags."

"I'm also capable of getting my bag," Brennan stated.

"The doctor said no heavy lifting," Booth replied as he went to the back of the car. He was finally glad that he had an excuse to do something nice for her without having to defend his actions. Booth opened the back door to the car and took out her two bags. Angela had packed them for her after they realized she would be in the hospital for longer than she wanted.

With Booth carrying her bags, they walked up to Brennan's apartment in silence. She was slightly slower than usual so Booth slowed down his pace. As they approached the door, they both stopped and stood in silence. Booth looked at Brennan, wondering what she was waiting for.

"Aren't you going to open the door?" Booth asked.

"I don't…have my keys," she realized.

"Right."

Booth put one of the suitcases down and reached into his pocket. He pulled out his key ring and sifted through his keys. When he found the one to Brennan's apartment, he put it in the lock and turned it, opening the door. He picked up the suitcase he had dropped. He let her walk in first and he stayed outside for a minute. He wanted to give her the time to feel like she was home.

"Aren't you going to come in?" Brennan asked.

Booth nodded and walked in, carrying her suitcases with him. He put them down right beside the door. He took the keys out of the lock and he took her key off his key ring. He held it out to her.

"Here's your key back," he said. "I was holding on to it until you got home."

Brennan stepped towards him and put her hand on his. She pushed his fingers so they were curled around her key.

"Keep it," she said. "Just in case. I have a spare."

Booth couldn't help but smile. He had waited a long time to get a key to her apartment. He knew it didn't mean what it usually meant in a relationship, but it was a start. Booth put the key back on his key ring and pocketed it. He closed the door and watched as Brennan walked around, as if making sure that everything was exactly as she had left it.

"Are you hungry?" Booth asked.

Brennan shrugged. "I guess."

"When was the last time you ate?"

"Are you interrogating me, Booth?"

"If I have to."

She smiled. "I would like to eat. As long as it's not hospital food."

"Got it. So…Thai?"

"As long as you order extra dumplings."

"Extra dumplings it is."

"I'm going to go take a shower."

She turned to walk towards her bathroom.

"Do you need help?" He asked before he even knew what he was asking.

She turned back around.

"In the shower?"

"Well…you know with…undressing," he stuttered.

He knew it was an awkward comment to make. It was also the least sexiest comment he could make. He wanted to take their relationship to the next level and talking about helping her undress was not helping. He needed to take it slow. He didn't want her to run.

"I think I'll be fine," she said. He noticed a small smirk on her face. He wondered if she was trying to flirt with him. "But I do need a bag."

"A bag?"

"I can take this brace off," she said, holding up her right wrist. The brace that was on it was just one that she could unvelcro and take off temporarily. "But I shouldn't get this one wet." This time she held up her left wrist. It had a hard cast on it from her second surgery.

"Right. A bag."

"I keep some spare plastic bags in the closet."

Booth walked over to her closet and opened it. A plastic bag with a few balled up bags was hanging on the hook on the door. Booth reached in and took out one of the bags. He shook it out and brought it over to Brennan.

"Could you…"

She didn't have to finish her sentence as Booth gently wrapped the bag around her wrist. He got an elastic out of a kitchen drawer and put the elastic around the bag where the cast ended just under her elbow. Knowing she was still in pain, he worked with her very delicately. He checked the bag to make sure he had sealed it with the elastic.

"There you go. Now you're officially waterproof."

"Thank you."

She looked down at her right wrist, which was still encased in the removable brace.

"Here, let me," Booth offered.

Booth undid the Velcro and gently took the brace off her hand. She flexed her fingers, testing how much her wrist could withstand. Booth realized just how close they were standing. If he wanted, all he had to do was dip his head down and his lips would be close enough to hers to kiss her. Instead, he took a step back, never taking his eyes off her. He continued watching her until he watched her disappear behind the bathroom door. Booth had to take a deep breath, reminding himself that it was not ok to be thinking about his partner behind that closed door. He was there to help her, not try to be with her. Booth flopped down on her couch, took out his phone, and speed dialed the Thai restaurant.

In the bathroom, Brennan struggled with undoing the buttons of her shirt with her one free hand. She thought about asking Booth to help her. She knew she could be out of her clothes and into her shower faster if Booth just undid her shirt, but she didn't call out to him. It certainly wouldn't have been the first time he would have seen her in a state of undress. He had, of course, helped her button up the shirt, but it wasn't about being modest. She didn't want him to help her because she needed to prove to herself that she could do it. She needed to prove to herself that Collin Brown hadn't taken everything from her like she felt like he had.

Wincing, she undid the last button and slowly slid the shirt off her shoulders. She let it fall to the floor as she began to work on her pants. Those were slightly easier as there was only one button to worry about. She stepped out of them and then looked down at herself. Although she had originally been self-conscious about, she was glad she had forgone the bra. It would have been very difficult to get the bra off without assistance and she wasn't sure if she was ready for Booth to go that far.

Brennan turned on the water in the shower and waited for it to warm up. She slid off her underwear and stood in front of the full length mirror. She took a good look at herself. She had always known she had a good physique. From an anthropological standpoint, she had a good shape including pronounced hips and good sized breasts. She knew her features made her a desirable mate because she was all but built for procreation. She had many men who told her she was beautiful and sexy and all those words that women longed to hear so she knew she was attractive. But she didn't feel attractive anymore.

Her bruises had faded, but some of them still held on. She had an incredibly stubborn one that had turned almost completely black right over her ribs. Her surgical scar was just beginning to dull over her chest. She knew she would never completely get rid of all the marks that Collin Brown had put on her. For the first time, she felt self-conscious about her body. Wiping a tear from her eye, Brennan stepped over to the shower. She checked the water to make sure it was the right temperature. She turned it hotter. She knew the hot spray would be rough on her skin, but that's what she wanted. She had been bathed in the hospital, but she still felt like she had to scrub Collin Brown off of her. She stepped into the shower and reached for her bathing sponge. She poured more body soap than necessary on the sponge and began scrubbing her body from head to toe. She didn't care that the water was too hot or that with every movement, she felt pain. She just wanted to forget about what happened and scrubbing the memory off of her was the only was she knew how.

Twenty minutes later, Booth was paying the Thai delivery guy as Brennan stepped out of the bathroom. Booth turned around from the front door and looked at her. Her hair was wet and falling down over her shoulders. She wore only a bright blue robe that matched her beautiful eyes. The robe was tied tightly around her belt, but it still left an opening that made a V shape right above her breasts.

"Feel better?" Booth asked. He didn't know how he managed to get the words out without squeaking. Seeing her like that made him feel like a teenage boy going through puberty all over again.

"Yes," she answered. "Is that dinner?"

"I've been slaving all day," he joked. She looked at him perplexed. "It's just a joke, Bones."

"I don't understand."

"Never mind."

Booth put the bag of food containers down on the living room table. He went into the kitchen and took two waters out of the refrigerator. He would have preferred a beer, but since Brennan couldn't drink, he didn't think it was very fair if he did.

"Did you get extra dumplings?" She asked as he returned to the living room with their waters.

"Didn't I say I'd get extra dumplings?"

"Yes, but I wanted to make sure you remembered. After all, you're the one who eats them all."

"I don't eat them all. You're the one who eats three at a time."

"I do not!"

They dug into the food and began eating. Brennan settled on one side, leaning against the arm of the couch. Booth settled on the other. He ate his food, but made sure she ate hers as well. He needed to make sure she kept her strength up. Thai food probably wasn't the most nutritious, but at least she was getting something.

"What?" She asked.

"What what?"

"Why are you staring at me?"

"I'm not starting at you."

"Do I have food on my face or something?"

"I'm not staring at you," he repeated.

Now that she mentioned it, though, he realized that he had been staring at her and it wasn't just because of the front of her robe. He couldn't help but notice how pink her skin was. He knew the only way her skin could be so pink was if she scrubbed herself clean. He didn't have to guess why she scrubbed her skin so much. He knew she was trying to cleanse herself. He wondered if he should try to get her to talk about it.

"Did you finish your report?" She asked.

"I was wondering when you were going to bring that up."

"Did you finish?"

"Yes, mom, I finished."

"I'm not your mother," she said seriously.

"I know, Bones. It's a saying."

"Well, it doesn't make any sense."

She stabbed a dumpling with her fork and went to bring it to her mouth. She gasped as a shot of pain ran through her right wrist and dropped the dumpling and fork.

"Bones…" Booth said, seeing the pain on her face. No matter how much she tried to hide it, he could see how much she was hurting.

"I'm fine. Dr. London said it would be painful for a while."

"You should put your brace back on."

He picked up the brace from where he had left it and held it out so that she just had to slide her hand inside. She slowly lifted her hand and he wrapped the brace around it, velcroing it together. She attempted to move her hand away from his hands, but he laced his fingers with hers. With his free hand, Booth took his fork and pierced a dumpling with it. He brought the dumpling to Brennan's mouth. She opened her mouth as he put it close enough for her to bite. She bit it in half. Juice dribbled down her chin as she chewed the dumpling. Booth put the fork down and grabbed a napkin. He dabbed the juice away. Their eyes locked.

"I'm capable of feeding myself," Brennan said quietly.

"I know."

"Then why do you insist on doing things I'm capable of doing?"

He finally tore his eyes away and shrugged. "Because it's…fun, Bones." He could have said intimate. He could have said sexy. He could have chosen any word, but he chose fun. If he were alone, he would have slapped himself in the forehead for being so stupid.

"How is that fun?" Brennan questioned, finally taking her hand out of his. She immediately recoiled to her corner of the couch. Booth hoped that didn't mean anything.

"It just is, Bones."

"That logic doesn't make any sense."

"That's because it's not logical."

"Now you're not making any sense."

She stifled a yawn and put her fork down.

"You're tired," he observed.

"The hospital isn't exactly the best place to get some sleep."

"You should sleep."

"I think I will."

Brennan stood up and bent to pick up one of the empty takeout containers. Booth put his hand on hers.

"I'll take care of it," Booth offered.

"I can clean up."

"I know you can. I'm just saying you don't have to."

"But…"  
"Are we going to have an argument about this, too?"

She shook her head. "No."

"Good, now get some sleep."

"Thanks, Booth." She paused. "For everything you've done. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Goodnight, Bones."

She was about to walk away when she walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him loosely. It took him a second to react. He hadn't expected the hug. He put his arms around her carefully. He knew not to hold her too tightly. Her body was still incredibly sore.

"Do you want me to stay?" He asked in a whisper.

Brennan stepped back from him. "What?"

He panicked, not sure what to do or say. He couldn't exactly take back what he had said, especially since he didn't want to take it back. He wanted to stay.

"I could sleep here…if you wanted me to."

"You've already done so much for me, Booth."

"I don't mind. Besides, I don't think it's a good idea for you to stay home alone on your first night home from the hospital."

"Dr. London didn't mention anything about not being alone."

"I know, but…it just seems like a good idea. What if you need something?"

"Then I'll get it."

"I'd just feel better if I stayed. But it's up to you."

She thought about it. She wanted him to stay. She wanted to repeat the night where he climbed into bed with her. She wanted to feel his arms around her.

"I'm fine, Booth," she said. "I don't need you to stay."

She didn't know why she said it. She had never been good at reading people, but she thought she could see the hurt in his face. And he was hurt. Booth was trying to come up with any excuse he could use to stay even if he knew it meant just staying on the couch. He didn't want to leave her, but he knew he wasn't going to have a choice. Brennan always got what she wanted.

"Ok. Well, if you need anything, call me. Anytime, Bones. I'll be here."

"I know you will."

"I'll stop by tomorrow after work."

"I have the nurse coming in tomorrow so you don't have to stop by if you don't want to."

"I want to," he assured her.

She nodded. "Ok."

"Ok." He headed for the door. She followed him. He opened it, but turned back to her. "Goodnight, Bones."

He leaned over and kissed her forehead before walking out the door.

Author's Note:

Thank you for reading! I know a lot of you have been waiting for Brennan to go home, so there you go. I hope you liked it! Don't forget to review!


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

Wednesday

9:22 AM

Booth yanked open the door to Sweet's office and stormed in. Sweets nearly jumped out of his chair, spilling the coffee that he was holding in his hand.

"Agent Booth," Sweets said, putting his mug of coffee down on his desk. He looked down at his stained tie. "Did we have an appointment?"

"No," Booth answered, pacing back and forth in front of Sweets' couch.

"I didn't think so." He pulled out some tissues from a nearby tissue box and began dabbing at his tie. "Why is it that you come in when you don't have an appointment, but I can barely get you to come in when you do have one?"

Booth finally stopped pacing and sat down on the couch that he and Brennan usually shared during their sessions. He pulled out a poker chip from his pocket and began to play with it. He wouldn't make eye contact with Sweets. He just sat, with his legs crossed, tapping his foot on the ground and playing with the poker chip.

"Did you want to talk about something?" Sweets asked, knowing quite well that Booth did have something on his mind.

Booth didn't respond. He just continued to play with his poker chip. Sweets threw away the tissues he had been using and sat back down in his chair. He put his elbow on the arm of the chair and rested his head in his hand. It was his usual stance when talking to Booth. He tried to appear somewhat uninterested so that Booth might open up more.

"Does this have to do with Dr. Brennan?" Again, Booth didn't answer. "How is Dr. Brennan doing?"

"She was discharged yesterday," Booth answered gruffly.

"Then why do you look so upset?"

"I'm not upset," he snapped.

"Then what are you doing here?"

Booth didn't know what he was doing in Sweets office. All he knew was that when he went home the night before he was angry. He was angry that Brennan hadn't let him stay even though he knew it was wrong to be angry. She was her own woman and, as she liked to remind him often, she could take care of herself. He knew that she wouldn't let him stay because that was just the type of woman Brennan was. Knowing all that, though, didn't make Booth any less angry. He wanted to take care of her and she was being stubborn.

"She's not one hundred percent better," Booth said.

"No one expects her to be."

"But she won't…accept help."

"Dr. Brennan is a very strong and sometimes stubborn person. You of all people should be aware of that, Agent Booth."

"I know that. But what is so wrong with accepting help when you need it?"

"Nothing. But you have to keep in mind what Dr. Brennan has been through. Being raised in foster homes taught her that she needed to be self-sufficient. She learned how to take care of herself and do things on her own. She's not used to people being around to help her so she finds it difficult to accept help even when she needs it."

"She's just being difficult."

"My guess is she sees it as not being needy. She doesn't want to impose on you or anybody else. She's trying to remain very self-sufficient."

"She's being ridiculous."

"What is all this about, Agent Booth? I thought you two were actually getting along with less bickering recently."

"That was when she was in the hospital and had to listen to her doctors…and me."

"And now?"

Booth put the poker chip back in his pocket. He moved to the edge of the couch, ready to stand. Sweets recognized it as a fight or flight reaction. Booth was definitely about to take flight. Sweets knew he was going to have to tread very lightly.

"Forget it," Booth said. He stood up. "I shouldn't have come here."

"But you did come here," Sweets said, desperately trying to get him to stay. "There must be a reason."

"Because I haven't gotten much sleep recently and I'm going crazy. That's the only reason why I can think I would go to a twelve year old for advice."

Sweets tried to look past the insult. "Why didn't you get a lot of sleep last night?" Sweets asked, raising an eyebrow. "Were you with Dr. Brennan?"

Booth huffed. "No."

"You seem angry about that."

"I'm not."

"You sound angry."

Booth threw up his hands. "Fine! I'm angry."

"Because…she wouldn't let you help her?"

"Yes."

"Sounds like there's more to it than that. Is there?"

"She wouldn't let me…stay over."

Booth still wasn't sure what he was doing there. He looked towards the door, knowing he should just leave. Sweets was the last person he should be talking about his problems with.

Sweets had to admit that he was a little surprised. He chose his words carefully. "I'm glad to see that your relationship with Dr. Brennan is progressing, but Agent Booth, Dr. Brennan has been through a very difficult ordeal. She may not be ready for an intimate relationship, which may be why she did not want you to stay over last night. Women who have been raped often don't feel comfortable immediately having a sexual relationship. You really shouldn't…"

"You think I'm angry because she wouldn't…have sex with me last night?" Booth practically shouted.

"Well…yes."

"Sweets, she's my partner!"

"One who you are sexually attracted to." Booth glared at him. "Look, normally when an adult talks about staying over someone's home, sexual intercourse is implied. But, as I said, in Dr. Brennan's case…"

Booth stood up. "I'm not mad because she wouldn't have sex with me!" He towered over Sweets, obviously intending to intimidate him. "I know what she went through! I know she was raped! What kind of man do you think I am?"

Sweets tried not to show fear. He had always felt intimidated by Booth not only because of his pure size and age, but because he was a powerful presence.

"I'm not doubting that you are a good man, Agent Booth. I was simply mistaken. Men do have biological needs that…"

"I would never hurt her!"

"I know that." Sweets paused. "Instead of making me guess here, why don't you tell me what really happened last night."

"You're the psychologist, you should be able to figure it out."

"Agent Booth…"

"Fine. I took Bones home from the hospital. Then I asked her if she wanted me to stay. You know she's still in pain and she needs help. Hell, she can't even button her shirt."

"You buttoned her shirt?"

"Get your mind out of the gutter, Sweets. It was purely innocent."

"Was it?"

"I'm not a pervert, Sweets."

"I know that."

"Then why are you acting like I am?"

"Because, just like I said to Dr. Brennan when she was in a coma, I know you have feelings for her. And it seems to me that you might be ready to start acting on those feelings."

"Not until she's ready."

"It's ok to be angry, Booth. It's completely natural that you want to help her and protect her and it's completely natural for you to be angry that she won't let you do that."

"Thanks for the confirmation, Sweets."

"You just need to be patient. I know it isn't easy, but anger won't help the situation. She'll rely on you when she needs to. Has she talked to you at all about her experiences?"

Booth shook his head. They hadn't spoken about what had happened to her since her nightmare. Booth was afraid to bring it up. He didn't want to push her away.

"Do you know if she's talked to anyone? Angela, maybe?"

"Not that I know of."

"It's important that she talk to someone."

"I know that, Sweets."

"I could talk to her."

Booth chuckled. "Have you forgotten that Bones doesn't believe in psychology? You're the last person she'd want to talk to."

"That's exactly why you need to talk to her."

"She doesn't want to talk to me."

"Maybe not right now. But she will."

"And when she wants to, I'll be there." Booth looked down at his watch. He stood up.

"Do you have somewhere to go Agent Booth?"

"No."

"Then why are you leaving?"

"Because I don't want to talk to you anymore, Sweets." Booth smiled at him and walked out of his office. Sweets rolled his eyes and buried his head in his hands. He wasn't sure if he would ever really get through to Booth, but he sure as hell was going to try his hardest.

7:15 PM

Booth stood outside of Brennan's door, holding a six pack of root beer in one hand and a pizza in the other. He heard her on the other side of the door. He knew he could have used his key, but he didn't want to push it. He had spent the day calming down and catching up on paperwork. Even though he hated to admit it, talking to Sweets had helped. He felt more able to deal with the fact that Brenna just needed time.

"Hi," Brennan said, opening the door.

"Pizza?"

"Pizza isn't good for you, Booth."

"Oh come on, Bones. A few slices aren't going to kill you."

"Well, of course not. Any food in moderation will not kill you. It's when you eat food in large portions over long periods of time that can lead to obesity and possible heart failure and a whole host of other diseases and complications and…"

"Can I come in, Bones?"

"Of course."

She stepped aside and he walked in. He put the pizza and drinks on the coffee table and sat down on the couch. She walked over to sit down beside him. He noticed immediately that she wasn't moving as slowly as she had been just twenty-four hours before. She was getting better every minute of every day.

"You look good, Bones." He meant that it more ways than one. She was wearing a simple T-Shirt and sweatpants, her hair thrown back in a sloppy ponytail. She looked like she had just rolled out of bed, but she looked beautiful.

"I feel better," she replied.

"How's your wrist?"

"The carpals on my right are healing well. The carpals on my left still have a long way to go, but I am positive that the surgery was successful and that I will regain full motion and use of my hand."

Booth didn't exactly know what all that meant, but he smiled. "That's good, Bones. Where's your visiting nurse?"

"She already came. I don't think it's necessary that I continue with her services, though. I am fine."

"Whatever you think is best," Booth said, happy that she might have to start relying more on him than a stranger.

Booth opened up the pizza box and handed her one of the glass root beer bottles. He chose root beer because they were the closest thing he could find to a real beer that didn't have alcohol in it.

"You heard Dr. London, Booth. I can't drink."

"It's only root beer, Bones."

"Oh."

"You can drink as much as you want."

"Well, not technically. There are only six bottles."

"Just drink up, Bones." He took a drink for himself and lifted it up. "To you," he toasted.

"Why me?"

"Because you're amazingly brave and absolutely incredible."

He hit his glass against hers and took a swig. She did the same.

"I'm the one who should be toasting you," she said.

"Why?"

"Because you've been amazing and incredible through this whole ordeal. I know I could have done this without you, but it would have been undeniably more difficult."

He couldn't help but smile at her compliment. He knew she meant well. Brennan just had a very different way of showing her appreciation.

"Thanks Bones," he said.

"I'm the one who should be thanking you."

She tapped her bottle against his and put it to her lips. Booth silently wished he could have been that bottle. He was suddenly overcome with the desire to finally tell her how he felt. He had told himself he would wait until she was better and more capable of hearing the greatest depths of his heart. Even though she wasn't completely healed, she was better and there was no time like the present.

"Bones, there's something…something I wanted to tell you."

"What is it?"

She shifted towards him and suddenly they were incredibly close. He wondered if he should tell her or just show her how he felt.

"Bones, I…"

The chirping of a cell phone cut him off. He was hoping somehow Brennan would ignore it as he planned to do, but she slid away from him. He cursed whoever was calling him in his head. He had finally worked up the courage to tell her and the courage slipped away with each second that his cell phone continued to ring.

"That's your phone," Brennan said.

"I know," Booth replied, sighing.

He pulled out his phone and looked at the caller ID. He knew he couldn't ignore it.

"Booth." He answered rather angrily. He listened to the person on the other end of the phone. "Yeah, be right there."

He hung up and put the phone back in his pocket.

"Who was it?" Brennan asked.

"Headquarters. A body was found downtown. They want me to take a look."

"A body? Is it a skeleton?"

"I don't know. I didn't get the details."

"If it's a skeleton, I should go with you." Brennan was already off the couch and on her feet. "You could use my expertise."

Booth stood up and put his hand on her shoulder.

"You're not going."

"But if it's a skeleton…"

"No."

"Booth…"

"Dr. London said you were to stay out of work for four to six weeks. Bones, it hasn't even been four to six days."

"I'm capable of going back to work."

"Is that why you start wheezing and wincing every time you stand for too long?"

"I do not."

"You're a bad liar, Bones. Now I'm going to go to the crime scene and you are going to stay here and get some sleep."

"I don't want to sleep, Booth. I want to go with you."

"Tell you what? You stay here and if it's a skeleton, I'll have Cam and Angela e-mail you some pictures and you can help right from your apartment."

Brennan crossed her arms. "Booth…"

"Take it or leave it."

"Fine."

"That's my girl."

He headed for the door.

"Don't call me my girl!" She shouted as he walked out, shutting the door behind him.

Author's Note: So, I couldn't resist not putting in another scene with Sweets. I just love writing his character for some reason. Also, a few people have commented about me finishing this story. Yes, this story will be finished. I never start posting a story online unless I know with absolute certainty that I am going to finish it. Usually I don't even start posting until the story is complete (I should confess that this story is complete, it's just a matter of editing and posting it). So, don't worry, there is an ending!


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

Thursday

9:15 AM

Brennan hung up her coat, keeping her left wrist still against her stomach. She had already made the mistake that morning of using it to get dressed and she had learned that she wasn't entirely pain free. That wasn't going to stop her from doing what she felt like she had to do, though. So, instead of worrying about a button down shirt that she knew would give her trouble, she settled for a green, pullover sweater and a black skirt. She wasn't able to wear the kind of necklace she usually liked because all of them were too hard to clasp, but she felt good that she had at least managed to make herself presentable and cover up her bruises.

Walking over to her desk, Brennan looked over everything. It appeared as if everything was in place. She assumed her office had been unused since she had left more than two weeks earlier. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the couch. She looked at it more carefully, noticing that the throw pillow was lying haphazardly in the middle of the couch and that the blanket she usually had draped over the back was unfolded and crumpled at the corner of the couch. Brennan had no idea how that could have happened. She was sure she left the pillow and blanket neatly on the couch.

"Brennan?"

Brennan looked over at her office door. Angela was standing there with her eyes wide open.

"Angela, was someone sleeping on my couch?"

"What?"

"Was someone sleeping on my couch?" Brennan asked, talking more slowly so that she was sure to enunciate. She couldn't figure out why Angela had asked her to repeat herself. She didn't realize that Angela was in shock at seeing her there.

"Sweetie, what are you doing here?"

"Why won't you answer my question?"

"What?"

"The couch, Angela. Did anybody sleep on my couch?"

Angela looked at the couch and then at Brennan. "Yes, Booth slept on your couch."

"Why? What was wrong with his bed at home?"

"Nothing was wrong with his bed."

"Then why did he sleep on my couch?"

"Because he wanted to be here…forget it, it's not important. Sweetie, what are you doing here?"

"I got your photos of the body."

"And…?"

"And I'm here to help."

"We only sent you those photos because Booth said we had to. We have this case under control. You shouldn't be here. You should be home. Resting."

"I don't want to rest and I disagree. You do need my help. I think I've already found the cause of death."

"Clark already found cause of death. Brennan, you just got home from the hospital two days ago."

"I'm not following your logic."

"You shouldn't be here. You should be home. You should be allowing yourself to heal."

"I'm fine, Angela."

"You're not fine, Sweetie. Come on, I'm going to take you home."

"I'm not going home."

"Booth said you shouldn't be on your feet for more than twenty minutes at a time."

"Booth isn't my doctor."

"No, but he got the information from your doctor."

"So I'll sit down a lot," Brenna said, already starting to wheeze. The damage to her lungs and the subsequent surgery sometimes made breathing difficult. Brennan knew she was going to have to get off her feet and rest, but Angela didn't need to know that.

"Brennan, I really don't think this is a good idea."

"I'm fine. Is the body on the platform?"

Angela didn't answer. Brennan walked past Angela and grabbed her blue lab coat from the coat rack where she hung up her jacket. She pulled it on as she walked out of her office and through the lab. She went to button it when she remembered that buttons were her enemy. Even though she hated wearing it with buttoning it, Brennan left her lab coat open as she made her way to the platform. After unclipping her badge, she swiped it through the security box and walked onto the platform. Clark and Cam were standing over the body.

"Dr. Brennan," Clark said, surprised.

Cam whirled around to face Dr. Brennan. Neither of them were concerned with the decomposing body that was in front of them anymore.

"Dr. Brennan, what a surprise," Cam said.

Angela walked up the platform after Brennan. She hung back, crossing her arms over her chest. She caught Cam's glance and she shrugged.

"I don't know why it is a surprise. I do, after all, work here," Brennan replied as she pulled on a pair of latex gloves.

"We know that, but it's a surprise to see you here now. Booth said you were going to be out of work for four to six weeks."

"Booth was mistaken."

Brennan looked closely at the body. The body was completely devoid of flesh or skin. All that was left were the bones, which were caked with dirt.

"The victim is male. Mid to late fifties. Where was the body found?"

"In a shallow grave in the woods," Cam answered. She eyed Clark suspiciously.

"I would estimate death occurred somewhere between fifty and sixty years ago." She was beginning to feel out of breath. Her voice came out slow and raspy.

"Sweetie, maybe you should sit down," Angela said, stepping forward.

"I'm fine," she lied. She knew herself that she should take it easy. She knew her body had gone through a terrible trauma, but she needed to work. She needed to prove that she was still useful.

"Has Hodgins looked at any of the particulates?"

"He's at the scene with Booth gathering some evidence," Cam explained.

"Do we have an ID?" Brennan could feel her head beginning to spin.

Even though she was trying to fool them, everyone could tell that she was not as fine as she said she was.

"I'm running the dental records," Angela responded. "I really think you should sit down."

"Angela said you might have found cause of death," Brennan said to Clark.

"Ribs four through six were broken and by analyzing the breaks I was able to determine that the rib must have punctured the right lung. This man died from pneumothorax."

Brennan was immediately quiet. That was exactly what she had suffered from and would have died of if Booth hadn't found her.

"Can you excuse us, Clark?" Cam asked.

Clark looked at each of his colleagues. He could see the looks in their eyes and feel the tension in the air. He didn't know how he always seemed to be in the middle of drama when he tried his hardest to stay out of it.

"Gladly," he said.

Clark walked away. Feeling lightheaded, Brennan grabbed the edge of the table that the corpse was on. She knew it was something that would have bothered her if anyone else did. She didn't allow anyone to touch her table. Cam quickly grabbed a chair over and put it behind Brennan.

"Sit," Cam stated.

"I'm fine," Brennan repeated.

"I'm your boss, Dr. Brennan, and I'm ordering you to sit."

"I think you're taking your status as my superior too far, Dr. Saroyan."

"Sweetie, just sit in the chair," Angela responded.

Knowing she had no choice or she might not be able to stand anymore, Brennan sat.

"I'd like to see the X-Rays," Brennan said.

Cam took a deep breath. She knew what she had to say, but she tried to think of a way to say it that wouldn't make Brennan angry. She had learned early on that she had to tread water around Brennan very carefully.

"Dr. Brennan, I know you'd like to help, but we have this case under control."

"I am the best in my field. I could be vital to this investigation…"

"And you will be," Cam assured her. "We will consult with you…from home."

"But I'd be much more useful here," Brennan argued.

"You need to go home, Dr. Brennan," Cam stated simply.

"I'll be in my office. Let me know when you get those x-rays."

Brennan stood up and stormed off to her office. She couldn't understand why everyone was so intent on sending her home. How could they not understand that she wanted to work? That she needed to work?

"Should I call Booth?" Angela asked, already holding her phone in her hand.

"Oh yeah, call Booth," Cam agreed.

10:42 AM

Booth marched into the Jeffersonian and strode right to Brennan's office. She was sitting at her computer, intently looked at the screen. Booth walked right up to her desk and stood in front of it. He placed both hands on the desk and leaned in closely to her.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

She didn't look at him. She just continued looking at the x-rays that were on the screen.

"I'm working," she replied. Booth reached across her desk and turned off her monitor. "Booth!"

"You're not supposed to be working. You're supposed to be home, resting."

"Why does everyone think I need rest?"

"Because you do."

Brennan went to turn her monitor back on, but Booth blocked her by grabbing her fingers.

"Booth…"

"I'm taking you home."

"No you're not."

Booth let go of her hand and walked around her desk so that he was standing right next to her. He squatted in front of her so that their eyes were level with each other.

"Yes I am."

"You can't tell me what to do."

"You sound like Parker."

"But you can tell Parker what to do. He's your child. I'm not your child."

"No, but right now you are in my care and I am taking you home."

"I am not in your care."

"Why does everything have to be an argument with you?"

Brennan looked down at her lap where her left hand was resting. She curled and uncurled her fingers, feeling the tenseness of her nerves. She took a deep breath, remembering how out of breath she had gotten just standing on the platform looking at the body.

"I'm not trying to argue," she said quietly.

"Then let me take you home."

She looked up at him. "I need to work, Booth. I need to feel…needed. I need to feel useful."

"You are useful, Bones. You are needed. I need you."

"No you don't. You have Cam and Clark and Angela and Hodgins and…"

Booth put his finger over her lips. "I still need you, Bones."

"I need to work," she repeated. He could see the tears swimming in her eyes. He knew she wouldn't let them fall. She was too strong for that.

"I know."

She shook her head. "No you don't. Not working is like saying…it's like saying that he won."

Booth nodded, understanding completely. He hated being out of work too. He could only imagine how Brennan was feeling.

"He didn't win, Bones."

Booth reached up and stroked her cheek. He was becoming bolder with his moves. He wondered if she would react in any way, but she didn't. If anything, she leaned into his touch, wanting more.

"I want to work on this case, Booth. I want it to be like it was before."

"I know. And it will be, Bones, but you need to take care of you. You need to get better. You need to heal because I don't like seeing you in pain."

"You can't see pain, Booth."

He was about to argue that pain was written all over her face almost any time she moved, but he kept his mouth shut. He did not want to start another argument.

"We'll keep you in the loop, Bones as long as you go home."

"What loop?"

Booth chuckled. "It means we'll keep you involved, Bones. I'll make you deal. I'll make sure that you get copies of all reports and scans and x-rays and whatever else it is that you squints do while you get to go home and get the rest you need."

"I don't know if I like this deal," Brennan said.

"Take it or leave it."

She sighed. "Fine."

"Good. Now I'm taking you home."

"I can just take a taxi."

"Is that how you got here? A taxi?"

"Yes. I would have driven, but Dr. London said I shouldn't drive."

"Why is it that you listened to Dr. London about everything but going to work?"

"Because I felt he was wrong about keeping me out of work."

"He's a doctor, Bones. I think he knows best."

"I'm a doctor.  
"Yes, but you're not a medical doctor."

"Are you saying his opinion is more important than mine?"

"When it comes to your medical health, yes, I do think his opinion is more important than yours."

"But…"

"Don't worry, Bones. You're still my favorite doctor. Now come on." He stood up from his hunched position. "Let's get you home." Brennan took his hand and he pulled her to her feet.

Author's Note: I just couldn't write this story without having Brennan go back to work even if she wasn't supposed to. It just seems like a very Brennan-like thing to do. Thanks for reading!


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

Saturday

10:12 AM

Brennan could hear the pounding before she even knew what it was. She opened her eyes and looked at her alarm clock. She blinked several times as she looked at it. She couldn't remember the last time she had slept that late. As she attempted to sit up quickly, Brennan moaned. Her chest and ribs were still incredibly sore. Her head hit the pillow again. The pounding continued and she quickly realized it was her front door. She took a deep breath and lifted up her head and torso slowly. It was still painful, but she was able to keep the pain under control as she moved into a sitting position. She knew her next move was the most painful of all first thing in the morning. She was going to have to put her feet on the floor and stand. The first time she stood in the morning always knocked the wind out of her.

The knock became louder as Brennan forced her right leg and then her left over the side of the bed. She wondered who was on the other side of the door.

As Brennan planted her food sturdily on the floor, her cell phone began to ring. She looked at it ringing on her bedside table. She reached for it, but it was just beyond her grasp. Brennan knew that in order to reach it, she'd either have to stand and pick it up or lie back down in bed. She was determined not to lie back down. Instead, she used all of her effort to lift her body so she was standing on her two feet. She wavered, having to put her right hand behind her on the bed to steady her. She couldn't help but gasp as the pain enveloped her. It seemed that the pain was always worse in the morning. It was like her body needed to be readjusted to moving every morning.

Brennan's cell phone stopped ringing, as did the knocking. She was silently grateful, thinking that the person must have gone away. She went to take a step so that she could reach for her phone when she felt one of her ribs aching. She removed her right hand from the bed and clutched at her chest. Without the support of her hand, she felt herself losing her balance. She crumpled to the floor. Sometimes she forgot just how much trauma her body had gone through.

Outside the door, Booth shoved his phone in his pocket. He was getting anxious. Why hadn't she answered her phone? Why wasn't she answering the door? Logically, Booth knew she could have been in the shower or be doing something else that made it impossible for her to get to her phone or to the door, but illogically, he needed to know that she was alright.

Booth pulled his keys out of his pocket. He found the key Brennan had given him and forced it into the lock. He turned the doorknob and opened the door. He closed it quietly behind him and looked around quickly. Brennan's apartment seemed to be in order. Nothing was missing. Nothing was out of place. He thought about calling her name, but he didn't want to scare her. Instead, Booth walked towards her bathroom. The door was wide open so he could see she wasn't inside. Knowing that she wasn't able to drive, Booth began to panic.

He moved to her bedroom. The door was closed. Even though he had been to Brennan's apartment many times, Booth hardly ever went in her bedroom. It was as if it were off limits to him. Knowing she was probably sleeping and that he was probably acting ridiculously overprotective, Booth put his hand on the doorknob. Despite the ridiculousness, he had to see that she was ok. He turned the knob and opened the door. He was met with an object flying in his direction.

"What the…?" The object, which turned out to be a high heeled shoe, hit him in the chest and fell to the ground. It wasn't thrown with much force, for which Booth was grateful. Booth looked to where Brennan was huddled on the ground next to her bed, nursing her right arm. Her eyes were wide open and her cheeks were flushed. She looked terrified.

"Booth?"

"Bones, are you ok?" He knelt down in front of her and put his hand on her knee.

"What are you doing here?"

"I…I came to see if you were alright. I knocked and I called, but when you didn't answer, I got…scared."

"Scared of what?"

"That you were…hurt." He knew he wasn't exactly wrong. By the look on her face, she was hurting. "You threw a shoe at me."

"I heard someone coming in. I thought…I thought you were an intruder."

"So you threw a shoe at me?"

"I couldn't get to my gun."

"Thank goodness. If you did get to your gun, I might be dead right now. Wait…why do you even have a gun?"

"For my protection."

"You have me for that."

"But you're not around all the time. Besides, I don't need your protection, Booth. I can take care of myself."

"Uh-huh. Bones?"

"Yeah?"

"What are you doing on the floor?"

"I…I fell. Getting up in the morning isn't always so easy."

"Come on, let me help you."

He put his arms under her arms as if he was going to lift her up, but she pulled back.

"I can do it," she insisted.

"Didn't you just get through saying that getting up in the morning isn't always easy?"

"Yes, but it doesn't mean that I'm incapable of getting up."

Knowing he was going to lose the fight if he pushed it, Booth put his arms back down at his sides and stood up. He watched as she took a deep breath and got to her knees. Using the bed to leverage her, she tried to lift herself up. She took in a sharp breath. Boot knew she was a master at disguising her pain. She was doing a very good job of it. There was only one problem; Booth could see right through her. Even though it hurt him to do so, he let her struggle. She would only push him away more if he tried to help. Sweets was right. Booth needed to wait until Brennan was ready to come to him.

Brennan hoisted herself to her feet, still holding on to the bed just in case. She blew a piece of her messy hair out of her face and looked at Booth. He couldn't help but smile. If he looked past the pain and the bruises that he could clearly see, she looked so damn sexy in her black shorts and pink tank top. It was her 'just out of bed,' ruffled hair that did him in. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

"I told you I could get up by myself."

"You sure did, Bones."

He could sense her legs beginning to wobble and his arm was around her waist in an instant, steadying her. He was sure not to hold her too tightly since he didn't want to hurt her.

"I'm fine," she assured him.

"I know. Just…humor me, Bones."

"But I didn't say anything funny."

"Where do you want to go?"

"Bathroom please. But I'm perfectly capable of…"

Before she could finish, Booth was walking with her to the bathroom. He knew she probably could have made it there on her own, but he didn't want to let her go.

"Here you go," Booth said as helped her into the bathroom. She steadied herself by using the sink and she looked up at her.

"I think I can take it from here."

"I'll be right outside."

Booth made his way out of the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. He walked over to the couch, wishing she had a TV. Instead of sitting, he made his way over to one of her many bookshelves. If she didn't have a TV, he was going to have to find something else to occupy himself. He picked an anthropology book off the shelf and looked at the back. After he came across the fifth word he didn't understand, he put it back on the shelf. He skimmed the shelf, trying to see anything that might be even vaguely interesting. Unfortunately, he and Brennan didn't have the same tastes when it came to reading. Finally, Booth picked up one of her own books. It was the one she had dedicated to him.

"What are you looking at?" Brennan asked.

Booth quickly put the book back on the shelf and turned to see Brennan. He didn't think she would have been out so quickly. He was glad to see that she hadn't changed. He was a little disappointed that she had combed her hair, but she had pulled it back away from her face the way he liked it. He loved being able to see her beautiful facial features.

"Nothing," Booth answered.

"You're obviously looking at something. Was it a book?"

"No."

Brennan shrugged and walked over to the couch. She sat down and picked her wrist brace off the coffee table in front of her. Booth made his way over to the couch and sat down beside her. Without asking, he took the brace out of Brennan's hand and helped her into it.

"Thank you," she said.

"You're welcome."

"So…what were you still doing in bed at ten o'clock, Bones? Last time I slept that late you said sleeping until ten was incredibly irresponsible."

"I…had a difficult time sleeping last night," she admitted, not meeting his eyes. He could see on her face that she felt somewhat ashamed.

"Hey, it's ok, Bones. I was just kidding."

"No, you're right. I shouldn't be sleeping so late."

"Hey," he said, putting his finger under her chin so that she was looking at him. "You can sleep all day if you want." He removed his hand. "Why didn't you sleep well?"

"What are you doing here, Booth?"

"You didn't answer my question."

"Well, now I'm asking my own question."

"But I asked first."

"Now who is acting like Parker?"

"Fine. I came here to spend the day with you."

"What? Why?"

"Because I know you're bored staying home all by yourself and that you're dying to get out of here."

"I'm not dying to get out of here."

"It's a figure of speech, Bones."

"You didn't have to come."

"I know, but I wanted to. Besides, how else can I make sure that you're not sneaking off to work if I'm not around?"

"I didn't go to work yesterday."

"That's because we had a deal. I made sure Angela, Cam, Clark, and Hodgins kept you informed and you stayed home."

"I think I might have found something when Clark sent me the images from the electrospectrometer."

"No."

"No what?"

"No, we're not talking about work."

"You brought it up. Besides, isn't there a murderer to catch?"

"We're not catching any murderers this weekend, Bones."

"But…"

"I've asked Casey to take a look at the case this weekend. She's going to let me know if she or your squints find anything."

"Casey? The agent who was in charge of my case?"

"That's the one."

"You're working with another agent?"

Booth could see the hurt in her eyes. He put his hand on hers.

"She's not my partner, Bones."

"She sounds like she is."

"Well, she's not. You're the only partner I want and when you're better, we'll get back to working together."

"I am better."

"You're better, Bones, but you're not ready to go back to work."

"Are you sure you'd rather not work with Casey?"

Booth smiled. There was that jealousy that he was hoping was real. If she was jealous, it meant she had real feelings.

"Trust me, Bones."

"I do."

"Good. Now, come on," he said, standing up.

"Where are we going?"

"We're spending the day together."

"I thought you said you weren't working this weekend."

"I'm not."

"Then what are we going to do?"

"We don't have to be working to spend time together, Bones."

"I know. We eat socially together. We also drink on occasion. So, are we eating or drinking?"

"Neither. At least not right now although I'm sure there will be eating at some point."

"So, what are we going to do?"

"We're going to go to my apartment and watch movies."

He gave her a big smile. She returned it by looking at him strangely.

"Movies?'

"Yes. Movies, Bones. I know you're not a big TV person, but you have to know what movies are. You know, when they take actors and put them all in one place and put them on camera and…"

"I know what movies are, Booth. Why are we spending all day watching them?"

"Because it's fun and relaxing."

"Watching people do things on a screen is fun?"

"For people who aren't as smart as you, Bones, yes, we do find watching movies enjoyable."

"So, we're going to watch movies? All day?"

"That was the plan."

"I have a better idea."

Author's Note: I don't have much to say except thank you for reading and thank you for the amazing reviews I've received so far! Reading them really makes my day!


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

Saturday

6:39 PM

Booth watched her. He hadn't taken his eyes off of her for more than a few minutes. She just looked so adorable that he didn't want to look away. Brennan's brow was furrowed and her eyes were squinting so hard they were almost closed. The look on her face was the exact reason why Booth always called her a squint. Just like the nickname Bones, it was a term of endearment.

Brennan was completely focused on the small object in her hands. She turned the object around to look at it from a different angle and then looked at the table that was between them. Booth was used to the look she had on her face. She had the same look on her face as she usually did when she was staring at a pile of bones. Only she wasn't staring at real bones. She was staring at a one thousand piece jigsaw puzzle of a human skeleton. When Brennan suggested they do a jigsaw puzzle, Booth was a little hesitant. But, seeing her eyes light up at the prospect of completing it, he relented and agreed. Booth figured after a little while she would get bored of putting the puzzle together, but he was wrong. They had been sitting at Brennan's table for hours trying to finish the puzzle. So far, they had more than three quarters of it done. Of course, Brennan had placed most of the pieces. He had been too busy looking at her than the puzzle.

"This isn't accurate," Bones said. Booth finally took his eyes off of her and forced himself to concentrate on the puzzle. She showed the piece she had in her hand to Booth. "This is supposed to be a part of the rib cage, but it is much too large in proportion to the rest of the skeleton."

"It's a puzzle, Bones," Booth replied. "Not a replica of a real human skeleton."

"It's an inaccurate puzzle."

"Just put the piece in."

"Considering this puzzle is so inaccurate, I can't tell exactly where it belongs. The makers of this puzzle should be ashamed."

"I don't think they thought a leading forensic anthropologist would be putting it together so I don't think accuracy was high on their list."

"Well, it should be. This is what's wrong with education today, Booth. We just accept inaccuracies rather than correcting them."

"You're right, Bones. The problem with education in this country is the inaccuracy of jigsaw puzzles," he said dryly.

"Are you making fun of me?"

He had to admit that he had been more sarcastic than he had meant to be. The day just wasn't turning out as he planned. He wanted to spend all day with her on the couch, sitting close together while he introduced her to movies she had never heard of. Instead, he was stuck sitting on the opposite side of the table staring at a skeleton puzzle.

"No, sorry. Why don't you just try the piece somewhere and if it doesn't go there, try it somewhere else."

"That would take the fun out of completing the puzzle, Booth," Brennan replied.

"Bones, we've been working on this puzzle for hours. It's not fun anymore."

She put the piece down and looked at him. "You're not having fun?"

"I…I was having fun until you told me that there were rules to putting together a puzzle."

"I told you about those rules when we first started."

"I know. I didn't realize there were rules to putting a puzzle together. When Parker and I do them, we just put pieces together and hope for the best."

"Well, that's not being logical, Booth. Everyone knows you should do the edges first so that you have an area of reference for the rest of the puzzle. Then you separate the pieces of color and shape so that you can best identify the piece you need." Booth raised his eyebrows and sighed. Brennan picked up on his restlessness. "Why didn't you tell me you weren't having fun?"

"Because you're having fun and that's all that matters."

"Well that doesn't make any sense. Would you like to stop doing the puzzle?"

"I want whatever you want, Bones."

"Your feelings are very important, Booth, so…tell me, how do you feel, Booth?"

He knew she was asking him his feelings in regards to whether or not he wanted to complete the puzzle, but she had unknowingly opened up the conversation to a whole new level. He could take the opportunity to tell her his true feelings. He wondered if it was the right time.

"You want to know how I really feel?"

"Yes,"

"I feel like…Italian."

He had taken the easy way out.

"Do you want to order out?"

He shook his head and stood up. "No. I want to cook for you."

"Booth, you don't have to do that."

"I want to," he said as he headed off towards the kitchen.

"Do you even know how to cook?"

He turned around and scoffed. "I resent that."

"Well, I'm only asking because I've seen all the takeout containers in your apartment."

He walked up to her chair and stood directly in front of her. With her sitting, he was towering over her, but he liked the feeling. It was very rarely that Booth had an edge on Brennan. He took it every chance he could. Of course, she wasn't very far from the truth. He wasn't the best cook, but he could handle simple spaghetti.

"I can boil pasta, Bones."

"I wasn't doubting that you can boil pasta, Booth."

"Why don't you finish the puzzle and I'll start dinner?"

"Actually, I don't want to finish the puzzle."

"Why not?"

"Because I can't finish something that is so blatantly inaccurate."

Booth chuckled. "So what are you going to do while I'm cooking dinner?"

"Helping you, of course."

"No."

"No?"

"Why don't you lie down? I'll let you know when dinners ready."

"I'm not tired."

"Dr. London said you needed plenty of rest and since you said you didn't sleep very well last night, you should rest."

Brennan chose not to argue. The last thing she wanted was to talk about why she didn't sleep well. Instead, she stood up abruptly. With Booth standing in front of her, when she stood, they were extremely close together. He should have stepped aside, but he held his ground.

"I thought you were going to cook dinner, Booth," she said in a whisper.

"I am."

He stepped aside and let her walk past. He watched her pull her hair out of its ponytail as she sauntered into the bedroom. He couldn't help but notice the swagger in her hips as she walked. He wondered if she had any idea what just watching her did to him. Shaking his head, Booth went into the kitchen. His first plan of action was to find all the ingredients he needed. He knew there wasn't much to making pasta, but he wanted to make sure that he made it to the best of his abilities. He didn't need Brennan to think that he was incapable of cooking.

Booth started looking through her cabinets, looking for pasta and sauce. As he opened the fourth cabinet, he found what he was looking for. His next challenge was to find the pans. It took him only two tries to find the kind of pan he needed. He put the pan under the sink faucet and filled it halfway with water. He put the pan on the stove and turned it on. As he waited for the water to boil, Booth opened the refrigerator. He smiled when he saw that she had a new six pack of beer. Knowing that Brennan couldn't consume alcohol while taking her medication, Booth had refrained from drinking around her. But, since she was in the other room resting, he found no harm in having just one beer. Booth reached in and grabbed one of the cans.

Twenty minutes later, Booth was taking the last sip of his beer and pouring the strained pasta back into the pan he had made it in. He took the pan of spaghetti sauce off the stove and poured the hot sauce over the pasta. With a wooden spoon, he began to mix it altogether. Once the pasta was completely saturated with sauce, Booth reached for the small bottle of garlic powder he had found in one of Brennan's cabinet. He preferred using fresh garlic when he cooked pasta, but the garlic powder was going to have to suffice. He sprinkled some of the powder over the pasta mixture and began stirring it. With his fingers, he reached in and pulled out a piece of spaghetti. He slurped it into his mouth and nodded in satisfaction.

"Perfect," he said to himself.

Booth took the two plates that he had already taken out of one of the cabinets and began to divvy the pasta between them. When the pot was empty, he threw it and the spoon into the sink. He put the two plates on a tray that already had two glasses full of water on it. He wished he had a flower or something to spruce up the tray, but the food and beverages were going to have to do. Carefully, Booth picked up the tray. He walked slowly towards Brennan's bedroom. He hadn't heard a sound from her bedroom since she had gone in there. He wasn't sure if she was sleeping or not, but he was about to find out.

Booth poked his head into the bedroom and saw her lying on her side with her back to him. She was curled up with her legs tucked closely to her torso and her arms wrapped around her body. Booth put the tray down on her bureau. He debated on whether or not to wake her when he heard a soft cry escape her lips. Booth immediately ran around the bed so that he could see her face. Her face was distorted as if she were in agony. Tears were leaking out of the corners of her eyes and her cheeks were flushed. It was exactly what had happened at the hospital. She was having a nightmare.

"Bones," Booth whispered.

He put his finger against her cheek. She moaned and unconsciously pulled away from him. He immediately removed his finger. He couldn't believe how warm her skin was to the touch.

"Come on, Bones. Wake up."

He shook her shoulder delicately. Her body coiled even more as if she were trying to make herself as small as possible. A gasp escaped her lips and he knew she was causing herself physical pain. Her ribs were still extremely tender and her legs were pressing against them every time she moved.

"You're safe, Bones. Wake up. You need to wake up."

Her eyes snapped open, her eyes dilated, her face looking as if she were totally shocked. Booth waited a few seconds as her eyes returned to normal and her face relaxed. She started to stretch out her legs, which he knew caused her pain.

"Hey," he said. He knelt down beside her bed and trailed his finger down her cheek so he could wipe away her tears.

"I…I'm sorry," she said. She started to try and sit up, not wanting to look at him. She hadn't meant to fall asleep because she was afraid of what would happen when she did. Her fear had come true. He had seen the thing she had wanted to hide.

"You don't have to be sorry, Bones."

She pulled herself up so she was in a sitting position. She still refused to look at him. Instead, she looked over at her bureau where Booth had put the tray of food.

"The food is getting cold."

"I'm not worried about the food."

He put his hand on her cheek and applied pressure, trying to turn her face towards him. She resisted, but he was stronger. Her head was pointed towards him, but she didn't look at him.

"Talk to me," he said delicately.

"It was just…"

"A nightmare?"

He could tell she was holding back tears.

"It wasn't a nightmare."

Booth shook his head out frustration. He dropped his hand from her face.

"Why won't you talk to me? Why can't you tell me the truth?"

"Because I'm fine."

"Bones…"

"Just go, Booth. Please."

"Not until you talk to me."

She began to move across the bed so she could slide off the other side. She needed to distance herself from Booth before she told him something she'd regret. She swung her leg over the bed when she felt Booth's hand on her elbow.

"Booth…please."

She hung her head and couldn't stop a tear from falling. Even though Booth couldn't see her face anymore, he could hear the tears in her voice. He removed his hand from her elbow.

"I never want to make you cry," Booth said.

"Then please go."

"Bones…"

"Please…"

"I don't want to leave you."

"I need you to. I can't…I can't do this with you here."

"Why not?"

"Booth, please…"

He stood up. He couldn't listen to her pleading anymore. It hurt him to do so, but he walked to the door. "When you're ready, I'm here for you."

He hated himself for it, but Booth walked out of her room. Brennan sat on the edge of the bed until she heard her apartment door slam shut. She laid back down on her bed and began to cry.

Author's Note: I know some of you were very excited to hear about Brennan's "idea." I know it wasn't very exciting, but it just seemed like something Brennan would do (that, and I love doing puzzles). Anyway, I hope you liked it!


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33**

Monday

8:07 AM

Booth was angry. He hadn't seen or spoken to Brennan in over thirty-six hours. He had gone home after she had asked him to and couldn't sleep. He couldn't stop seeing the tears on her face. He couldn't stop hearing her voice, asking him to leave. After spending all night flipping through terrible infomercials, he had called Brennan in the morning. She didn't answer her phone. He left her half a dozen messages, but she didn't return any of them. Worried about her, Booth had even driven to her apartment, but he didn't go in. Instead, he had called Angela to have her call Brennan. Sitting in the parking lot outside her building, he waited. If Angela couldn't get through to her by phone, he was going to storm up to her apartment and break down her door if he had to. A few minutes later, Angela had called and said that Brennan had answered. She wasn't interested in talking, but at least Booth didn't have to worry that she had fallen in the shower and had cracked her head open on the edge of the bathtub or something worse. Booth had gone home, unable to do anything except think about Brennan. Casey had called to talk about the case they were working on, but even that wasn't a big enough distraction. He wanted to talk to Brennan. He needed to talk to Brennan. Booth was trying to be patient like Sweets had suggested. He was trying to wait for Brennan to go to him, but he was tired of waiting.

Booth stormed into his office, slamming the door behind him. He hardly ever shut the door, but he did not want any visitors. Booth pulled out his chair and sat down. He rested his elbows on his desk and put his head in his hands. He didn't know how his world had gotten so turned upside-down.

Booth lifted up his head and was about to turn on his computer to attempt to get at least some work done when his phone rang. Booth quickly pulled it out of his pocket and looked at the caller ID. When he saw that it wasn't Brennan, he cursed out loud. He was beginning to really hate his cell phone. He put the phone to his ear.

"What do you want, Cam?" Booth asked.

"Good morning to you, too, Booth," Cam replied.

"Sorry. It's been a very long weekend."

"I have something at the lab you need to see."

"Is it about the case?"

"Just get here, Booth."

The last place Booth wanted to go was the lab. It just reminded him too much of Brennan and thinking about Brennan was making him angry.

"Can't you call Casey? She can…"

"No. You need to be here, Booth. Now," Cam commanded.

Booth heard the click of Cam's phone hanging up. Sighing, he shut his phone and put it back in his pocket. He was angrier than when he started the day and that was not a good thing. Booth stood up and strolled out of his office. He wasn't in any particular hurry to get to the lab so he took his time. He stopped in the break room to grab a cup of coffee to go before making his way down to his car.

Without his sirens going and with the early morning traffic, it took Booth nearly a half hour to get to the lab. As he pulled into the parking garage, he was aggravated by the fact that someone had parked in his usual spot. His day was just getting worse and worse and he hadn't even been at work for an hour. Booth rode the elevator up to the floor the lab was on and walked through the sliding doors into the lab.

"Cam!" He shouted.

Booth glanced onto the platform, but didn't see anyone. Usually when anyone called to tell him that they found something important, the platform was a flutter with action. This time it was completely deserted. Hoping that Cam had a very good reason for calling him, Booth made his way to her office. She met him at the door.

"What took you so long?" She asked.

"I was busy. What's so important that you couldn't tell Casey?"

"I thought you'd want to see this with your own eyes."

Cam started walking across the lab. Booth followed her. He expected her to stop at a computer to show him some microscopic evidence that only a squint could find, but she didn't stop until she made it to the doorway of Brennan's office.

"What are we doing at Brennan's office?" Booth questioned.

"You'll see."

Cam walked through the door and over to the couch. Booth stayed put until she motioned for him to follow her. He made his way to her side and looked at the couch.

"What the…"

"I told you you'd want to see this with your own eyes," Cam whispered.

Booth was looking down at a sleeping Brennan. She was stretched out on her couch with the throw blanket draped over her. Her face was pressed into the back of the couch. She was snoring quietly.

"How long has she been here?" Booth asked. He kept his voice low. Even though he was surprised that she was there and he wanted answers as to why she was there, he didn't want to wake her.

"Security has her coming in at around one AM."

"One AM? She came to work at one o'clock in the morning?"

"The security cameras show her coming in and walking directly into her office. She didn't stop to look at the body of our victim or look at any of the scans. She just laid down on the couch and went to sleep. My guess is she didn't come here to work."

"Then why would she come here?"

"This place of full of people. Even at one AM, there are still people working. There are still security guards walking around. It's impossible to be alone here."

Booth's anger was swept away when he realized why she had gone to the Jeffersonian to sleep. He had seen her nightmares. He knew she wasn't sleeping well. She had gone to the Jeffersonian to finally get some real sleep because she knew she wouldn't be alone and she had nothing to fear if she wasn't alone.

"I'll take it from here," Booth said. "Thanks Cam."

"Don't mention it."

Cam left the room, closing the door behind her. Even though Brennan's office was made entirely of windows, Brennan and Booth deserved their privacy.

Booth kneeled down in front of the couch and leaned over her, looking at her face. He couldn't see her whole face, but he was glad that it didn't appear that she had been crying. At least he felt sure that she hadn't had a nightmare, which comforted him slightly. He only wished she hadn't felt like she had to sleep at the Jeffersonian to have a restful night.

Booth ran his finger down her arm and whispered her name. She stirred underneath him, but didn't quite wake up. Brennan had always been a light sleeper, but with all the medications she was on, she slept more soundly. Booth leaned over her and kissed her on the cheek. He wondered what would happen if she woke up at the exact moment he kissed her. Would she be mad? Would she wonder why he was kissing her?

"Wake up, Bones," he said a little above a whisper.

She mumbled something and rolled onto her back. When she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was his face looking down at her.

"Hey sleepy head," he said. He could have chosen to be angry. He could have chosen to yell at her for sleeping at the Jeffersonian, but he chose a milder approach. The last thing he needed to do after their last moments together was make her angry at him.

"Booth?" She suddenly realized where she was and she sat straight up, wincing.

"Take it easy," he said. She took a deep breath and he could hear her wheezing. She clutched at her chest with her right arm. "Where's your medication, Bones?"

She started gasping for breath. "In my bag. By my desk."

Booth hurried over to her desk and found the small bag she must have packed. He began to dig through it, but then thought better of it when he heard her breaths becoming shorter. He dumped the bag over and all of the contents spilled out onto the floor. He grabbed her four medicine bottles and brought them over to her. Quickly, he unscrewed each one and handed them to her one at a time. She took out the necessary amount of pills and cupped them in her hand. Booth went back to where he had dropped the bag and took a water bottle from the pile of things he had emptied and brought it over to her.

"Here," he said. She put the pills in her mouth and swigged them down with the water.

"Thank you."

They both waited a few minutes while her breathing went back to normal. She shifted on the couch so that Booth could sit next to her, rather than kneeling on the floor. He scooted up onto the couch and glanced over at her. She was staring straight ahead at some unknown object. He knew she had to know what question he was going to ask so he decided to just come out and ask it.

"You're asleep on your couch at the Jeffersonian, Bones. Why?"

"I wanted to get some work done and I knew you wouldn't let me so I came last night," her answer was quick. Too quick. It was an obvious lie. "I got tired and I laid down. I didn't expect to be asleep for so long."

"That's the truth?"

"Are you interrogating me, Booth?"

"If I have to."

"Well, you don't. I came here to work and I fell asleep."

"How many times do I have to tell you you're a bad liar?"

"I am not."

"Yes you are, Bones."

"No, I'm not."

"I know you didn't come here to work. Cam saw the security tapes. Now tell me what you're really doing here." He already knew the answer, but he needed to hear her say it.

Brennan knew she had been caught. She couldn't deny what was on the tapes.

"I didn't mean to fall asleep for so long," she admitted quietly. "I was going to go back home before anyone came in."

"You didn't really answer my question."

"What do you want me to say, Booth?"

"I want you to tell me the truth."

"I did."

"You and I both know that's not true. You can hide all you want, Bones. You can kick me out of your apartment and you can lie to me about why you're sleeping in your office, but I know. I know you're hurting and I know you're afraid of admitting what you're feeling. I know you don't want to ask for help, but you need it, Bones."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

He had to take a deep breath to keep his temper under control. He didn't want to be angry with her, but she was making it increasingly difficult.

"Do you trust me, Bones?"

"Of course I do."

"Then trust me now." He put his hand on hers. "Trust me."

She looked at him for the first time since she had woken up. She covered his hands with her other hand. She concentrated on keeping her tears from falling.

"I…I trust you, but I…I can't. I'm sorry, Booth."

"You need to talk to someone, Bones. You need to tell someone how you're feeling. You need to talk about what happened."

"I told you, I can't."

"It doesn't have to be me," he replied even though it was somewhat of a lie. He wanted it to be him. He wanted her to open up to him, but if that wasn't an option, she needed to open up to someone. "Talk to Angela. She's your best friend. She'll understand and she'll know all the right things to say and…"

"I can't talk to Angela."

"Why?"

"I just can't."

"Then, hell, Bones, talk to Cam. Talk to Hodgins. Talk to Clark for all I care. Just talk to someone."

"Talk to Clark? Our relationship doesn't extend beyond anything but a professional one. It would be completely inappropriate for me to talk to him. And Cam? She's my boss. And Hodgins? I wouldn't feel comfortable…"

"Fine. Forget them. All I'm saying is you need to find someone. You need to talk about it."

"I told you…I'm fine."

"Is that why you're sleeping on a couch when you have a five thousand dollar bed at home?"

"How did you know how much my bed cost?" She asked, deliberately changing the subject.

"Bones…"

She immediately looked down at the ground. She knew she was disappointing him, but she didn't know what else to do. She couldn't be open with her friends. She couldn't tell them what she had gone through and what she was feeling.

"You said you trusted me," Booth said.

"I do trust you."

He stood up. "Then come with me."

"Where?"

"Just…trust me. That's all I'm asking is your trust."

She nodded. "Ok."

Author's Note: Thank you for reading! There are still 10 more chapters to go!


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34**

Tuesday

9:33 AM

After showing his badge to the security guards, Booth pulled his car into the FBI parking garage. He went to his usual spot, thankful that it was still available. Brennan was sitting quietly beside him. She hadn't said a word since they had gotten into the car. She hadn't even commented when he opened her door for her and helped her into the car. Booth glanced over at her as he turned the car off and took the keys out of the ignition.

"What are we doing here?" Brennan asked.

"You'll see."

"You know, while we're here, I could help you with your case. I could look over the evidence or you could take me back to the Jeffersonian so I could…"

"Don't even think about it, Bones."

"Think about what?"

"Trying to talk me out of this."

"How can I be trying to talk you out of something if I don't know what that something is?"

Booth got out of the car and walked over to the passenger side. He opened her door. Brennan sat completely still. She had her arms crossed and her bottom lip was jutting out just slightly. She looked like a pouting child. If it weren't such a serious situation, Booth would have laughed. Instead, he reached over her waist and unclipped the belt. He let it recoil back to its holder and he put his hand on her arm.

"Come on, Bones."

"I don't think I'm completely comfortable with whatever you're doing, Booth."

"Trust me," he replied.

He knew that would get her. They trusted each other implicitly. They would have followed each other anywhere. Booth helped her out of the car and they walked together towards the elevators.

"I still don't understand what we're doing here," Brennan said, trying to get any information out of him as she could. Her strong point was never interrogation and she was failing miserable.

"I told you. You'll see."

Booth hit the up button. They waited only seconds for the elevator to open. They both got inside, Booth ushering her in with his hand at her lower back. Booth pushed the floor number he wanted and stood back, leaning against the wall of the elevator.

"You hit the wrong floor," Brennan said.

"No I didn't."

"But your office isn't on that floor."

"We're not going to my office."

"We're not?"

"Nope."

"Then where are we going?"

"You're supposed to be the genius, Bones. You should be able to figure it out." He said it teasingly, trying to relieve some of the tension in the elevator.

Brennan looked at the number Booth pressed. "Sweets?"

"Very good, Bones. You win the door prize."

"What prize?"

"Never mind."

She furrowed her brow. "Why are you taking me to Sweets?"

"Because you need to talk to someone."

"I don't even believe in psychology."

"Maybe not, but just give it a shot, Bones. Maybe he can help you."

"Help me what, Booth? I told you I'm…"

He raised his hand up, quieting her. "Bones, if I hear you say you're fine one more time, I might…shoot something."

"I don't understand why you're getting so upset. I think I would know if I need to talk to someone."

"That's just the problem, Bones. You don't know." Booth sighed. "Look, Sweets is going to have to clear you to go back to work anyway."

Brennan's eyes grew wide. "What? Why?"

Booth was flat out lying. He hated doing it. He had never lied to her before, except about his feelings, and he didn't want to start, but she was leaving him no choice.

"Because just like when I shot that clown, Bones, you have to be declared fit for duty. Sweets is the one who has to sign the papers so you're going to have to talk to him eventually. It mine as well be now."

Brennan paused and pondered what he said. "Logically, that makes sense. The sooner I talk to Sweets, the sooner we can get back to work."

"Exactly."

"Ok, I'll talk to him."

"Good."

The elevator stopped and the doors opened. They made the familiar journey to Sweets' office. His office door was closed. Booth knocked, but opened the door before Sweets even had a chance to reply. Sweets was standing in front of his chair with an annoyed look on his face.

"I could have had a patient in here," Sweets said.

"But you don't," Booth replied.

"You really need to stop bursting in here when you don't have an appointment, Agent Booth."

"It's not for me." Booth stepped aside and Sweets saw Brennan standing behind him.

"Dr. Brennan, it's good to see you up and around."

"Thank you, Dr. Sweets." Brennan walked over to the couch and sat down.

"She's all yours, Sweets."

"All mine? But, Dr. Brennan, you hate psychology."

"Booth says you need to sign a paper before I can go back to work so here I am. Let's get started. Do you have the paper?"

Sweets looked at Booth quizzically. Knowing he was going to have to explain himself, Booth stepped in.

"I told Dr. Brennan about how you need to clear her before she can return to work due to the traumatic experience she…experienced."

Booth raised his eyebrows and nodded at Sweets, trying to get him to go along. He still wasn't comfortable with lying, but if that's what it took, he was going to go with it.

"I thought you were out of work for several weeks," Sweets said to Brennan.

"According to my doctor, yes, but I think I'm ready to go back to work now."

"Well, not right now, Bones," Booth said.

Brennan turned around on the couch to look at him. "But you said Sweets just has to clear me to go back to work."

"Well, yeah, he has to clear you so that when you're ready, you can come back to work."

"But I am ready."

"No, you're not," Booth replied. "Tell her, Sweets."

"You really should listen to your doctor, Dr. Brennan," Sweets said.

"Neither of you are doctors, so I don't know…"

"I'm a doctor," Sweets said, raising his hand.

"Not a medical doctor," Brennan corrected.

"Ok…ok," Booth said. "Why don't you two start talking and we can talk about when you can come back to work later."

"Just…give me one minute, Dr. Brennan."

Sweets headed towards Booth. He took him by the arm and led him outside. He closed his office door so Brennan couldn't hear them.

"You lied to Dr. Brennan about coming to see me?" Sweets asked.

"I had to get her to come," Booth answered.

"So you tricked her? The reason your relationship works, Agent Booth, is because you two are completely honest with each other…except about your feelings, of course."

"Just talk to her, Sweets. She needs someone to talk to and you're the only one who can do it. Please."

"Why now? A few days ago you were complaining that she wasn't coming to talk to you so why are you suddenly pushing her to come talk to me?"

"Because I don't care who she talks to as long as she talks to someone. She can't sleep, Sweets. Saturday night I woke her up from another nightmare and she denied the whole thing. She kicked me out of her apartment. This morning, Cam found her sleeping on the couch at the Jeffersonian."

"Sleeping at the Jeffersonian? Why?"

"You're the psychologist. You tell me. Look, she needs someone. I'm asking you as a friend. Please help her."

He took a deep breath. "Fine. I'm not comfortable with this, but I will do this because I agree that Dr. Brennan needs to talk to someone."

"Thank you."

Booth began to walk away.

"On one condition," Sweets began. Booth turned back around. "When you come to your regularly scheduled appointments, you turn off your phone."

"What?'

"Next time you come to see me, you have to turn off your phone. No more running off on me because you get a phone call."

"But what if I have a case?"

"Take it or leave it."

Booth sighed. "Fine. Just take care of her."

Sweets nodded and went back into his office. He walked over to his chair and sat down, facing Brennan.

"So, do you have the paper?" Brennan asked.

"What?"

"The paper you need to sign saying I can go back to work."

"Oh well, we…talk first and then I'll get the paper," Sweets answered.

"Ok."

"Ok. So…how have you been feeling?"

"Fine."

"Just fine?"

"Well, I still have pain, but I'm healing quickly."

"That's good. How are you feeling emotionally?"

"Fine," she answered quickly.

Sweets knew she wasn't going to open up to him easily.

"Dr. Brennan, why do you think Agent Booth asked you here?"

"Because he wants me to be able to return to work."

"Well, yes, but why else?"

"Because…he's worried about me."

"Why is he worried about you?"

"Because he's Booth. As a typical alpha male in any society, he feels the need to protect those who he thinks needs protecting. He does that by worrying."

"And it has nothing to do with the fact that he found you sleeping at the Jeffersonian this morning?"

"He told you that?"

"He mentioned it, yes."

"Well, I already told him, I went in to get some work done and I fell asleep."

"Were you having nightmares? Is that why you went to the Jeffersonian?"

"I don't have nightmares," Brennan replied. "And I find it deplorable that any doctor would think that nightmares are real. But that's why you're a psychologist and I'm a real doctor."

"Dr. Brennan, nightmares are real manifestations of ours fears."

"Nightmares are…"

"Let's not use the term nightmare," Sweets stated. He collected his thoughts, trying to figure out the best way to get through to her. Sweets knew he was a good psychologist. He graduated top of his class and had put in countless hours in his internship, helping adult with post traumatic stress. He was well qualified to help Dr. Brennan, if she would let him.

"Can't you just sign the paper?" Brennan asked.

"You went through a very difficult experience, Dr. Brennan," Sweets said. "In my work, I've talked to a lot of people who have gone through terrible ordeals. Even the most well-adjusted of those people, even those people like yourself who can compartmentalize their feelings, have difficulty dealing with their traumas. Sometimes those difficulties present themselves when our subconscious takes over like when we're sleeping."

"I don't know what any of this has to do with going back to work."

"Let me start over…you and Agent Booth are very close, right?"

"I don't understand why you're asking a question you already know the answer to."

"Agent Booth is the type of person who needs to be there for people."

"Because he has an alpha male personality."

Sweets knew he was going to have to appeal to Brennan's brain. Even though she had a bigger vocabulary than anyone he knew, he was going to have to speak in words he knew she would understand.

"Right, because he is an alpha male. And alpha males have certain attributes. They're protectors. In history, they were the ones sent to protect what they rightfully thought was theirs whether it be their land or their families. Agent Booth is a protector and you are his family. He wants to protect you. He wants to be there for you. He needs you to need him."

"But I don't need him."

"Then why were you sleeping at the Jeffersonian?"

She opened her mouth to answer, but no words came out. She knew she needed Booth. She needed him more than she had needed anybody else in her entire life. She had always needed him and she always would. She was just going to have to be brave enough to admit it to him.

"What if he rejects me?" She whispered.

"You're afraid he's going to reject you?"

"Although physically we are a compatible in terms of our attractiveness, Booth is run by his emotions and I…I rely on science and evidence and…that's where we're not compatible."

"But that's what makes you compatible. You two have been through everything two people could possibly go through together and you've made it because you're more than compatible. Trust yourself, Dr. Brennan. Trust what you're feeling. And trust him."

"If I tell him how I'm feeling…if I tell him about how when I close my eyes, I still feel like I'm down in that basement…that I'm scared…he'll…he'll…"

"He'll be there for you."

"But what if he thinks of me as being less capable? What if he doesn't want to work with me anymore?"

"That won't happen. Give him a chance, Dr. Brennan. Let him be there for you."

They sat in silence as Brennan thought about what he said. She knew what she had to do.

"I know I don't put much credence in psychology, Dr. Sweets, but…thank you."

Brennan stood up, ready to go do what she needed to do. She not only needed to tell Booth that she needed him, but she needed to tell him the feelings she had been keeping from him for so long.

"Wait, Dr. Brennan, we're not done."

"But you said I need to talk to Booth."

"Yes, but you also need to work through the trauma of being kidnapped. You mentioned feeling like you were still down in that basement. Would you like to talk about that?"

"Dr. Sweets, I realize what you're trying to do, but no, I don't want to talk about it."

Brennan stood up.

"But, Dr. Brennan…" Sweets said, standing. He had only accomplished half his goal.

"But when I am ready to talk about, I'll let you know."

"Ok."

Brennan walked over to the door and let herself out. Sweets was left, wondering if what he made was actual progress or not.

Author's Note: So, I know the ending might have been a little un-Brennan like, but I had to start getting her to face her feelings. Anyway, thanks for reading. Don't forget to review!


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35**

Monday

10:11 AM

Brennan exited the elevator and headed straight for Booth's office. She had never expected to get anything out of talking to Sweets. In actuality, she thought talking to him would just aggravate her. But, he had helped her. He had helped her see that she couldn't hide anymore.

Brennan stopped just outside of Booth's office door. He was sitting at his computer, clicking away with his mouse. She could tell by the look on his face that he was busy. He always got a crease in his forehead when he was concentrating on something and Brennan could definitely see the crease. She thought about leaving so that he could get his work done, but she realized she didn't have anywhere else to go. Her car was still at the Jeffersonian. In essence, she was Booth's hostage. She knocked quietly on the door before walking into Booth's office.

"Hey," Booth said, standing up. The first thing he did was look at her face to see if she had been crying. Thankfully, she hadn't. Booth wondered if Sweets had gotten anywhere with her. Brennan wasn't the easiest person to get to open up.

"Hi." Brennan walked to one of the chairs in front of his desk and sat down. Booth couldn't help but notice the slight frown on her face as she sat. He forgot just how much pain she was probably in.

"How did it go with Sweets?"

Brennan thought about how to approach the subject. After years of building up walls and pushing Booth away, it was going to be difficult for her open up.

"He didn't sign the paper," she answered.

"What paper?" Booth asked, before remembering the lie he had told her. "Oh, right. Well, I'm sure he just forgot. Besides, you can't go back to work yet anyway."

"According to you."

"And Dr. London." Booth sat back down. He tried to read her face. Besides the fact that he knew she hadn't been crying, he tried to see what she was thinking. The problem was, she was incredibly good at masking her feelings. "So…did you and Sweets…talk?"

"Yes."

"Good. That's good. Right?"

"I think so."

"Good. That's good."

"You said that already."

"Oh." He paused, not sure what to say. "You know, Bones, you can always…talk to me."

"I know. I…wanted to talk to you about that. I wanted to…ask you if we could…if you would…"

Brennan was cut off by a knock at the door. Booth looked up at whoever knocked while Brennan looked down at the floor. She had finally gained the courage to ask Booth for help and she was interrupted.

"Casey," Booth said.

Casey was standing in the doorway with a file folder in her hand. She looked at Booth who did not look too happy. Her eyes traveled to the chair that Brennan was sitting in and she realized her mistake. She obviously interrupted something. Suddenly she felt incredibly guilty.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I'll come back later."

"Ah…no, that's ok," Booth said. "Come on in."

Brennan couldn't help but feel rejected as Casey walked in. Booth had chosen her over the important thing that Brennan needed to say.

Casey walked in slowly, feeling incredibly out of place. She could feel the tension in the room. She walked over to the chair next to Brennan and looked at her. She recognized Brennan, but the woman she saw before her looked incredibly different than the woman she had seen tied up in the basement of the mall.

Booth noticed the look that Brennan gave Casey. It was as if Brennan were sizing her up. The tension was growing thicker. Booth knew he had to do something.

"Casey, this is Dr. Temperance Brennan," Booth introduced. "Bones, this is Agent Casey Temple."

"Dr. Brennan," Casey said. "It's so nice to finally meet you."

Casey held out her right hand. Brennan raised her right hand and put it in Casey's. Casey noticed her hesitation and didn't shake her hand too tightly. She knew she was still recovering from her trauma.

"Booth said you aided in locating me. I guess I owe you a thank you."

"I was just part of the team, Dr. Brennan. Despite my protests, Agent Booth here really led the investigation." She smiled at Booth, but he didn't smile back. He glanced over at Brennan, seeing the look of disdain on her face.

"That's because Booth is the best," Brennan stated.

Booth couldn't help but be proud that Brennan had complimented him. Compliments from her were incredibly rare.

"Yes, he is," Casey agreed. "And your team at the Jeffersonian...they're incredible."

"They are each at the tops of their fields," Brennan said. "I don't accept anything less."

"Of course you don't. What makes them incredible is not that they're at the tops of their fields, Dr. Brennan. They are also incredibly loyal to you. You're very lucky."

"Yes, I am."

Brennan was being short with her and Booth knew it.

"What's that?" Booth asked Casey, pointing to the file she was holding. He definitely needed to change the subject before a cat fight started in his office.

"Oh…I came to tell you that we identified our victim."

Casey handed him the file.

"Who was he?"

"A Mr. Tony Rossi. Angela was able to create a reconstruction and we finally got a hit in the missing persons database."

"What took so long?" Brennan asked accusingly. "You've had the body since Wednesday."

"The body has been in the woods for fifty-five years, Dr. Brennan," Casey explained. "We only have the last fifty years of missing persons in our computer database. I had to have my people going through the missing persons files by hand."

"What do we know about him?" Booth questioned. He opened the file Casey had given him and began skimming it.

"His wife reported him missing in 1954. He went to work one day and just didn't come back. The investigating officers never could prove foul play without a body. His daughter was only four when he went missing. She's on her way in right now. She should be here within the hour. I could…meet with her alone if you'd like."

"I can help," Brennan offered.

"No," Booth replied. "You're not working."

"But I feel…" She was going to say 'fine,' but then she remembered what he had said in the elevator if she said she was feeling fine. She didn't want him to shoot something. "I feel good enough to work."

"No," Booth responded.

"I'll…call you when the victim's daughter gets here," Casey said, realizing that a fight was most likely about to ensue.

"Thanks Casey."

"It was very nice to meet you, Dr. Brennan."

Casey stood there, waiting for any type of response. When she didn't get one, she simply nodded at Booth and walked out of his office.

"You could have said it was nice to meet her, too, Bones," Booth said once Casey was gone.

"But it wasn't nice to meet her."

"Bones, she helped save your life."

"You could have saved my life without her."

"Why don't you like her? You don't even know her."

Brennan sighed. "Can I interrogate the victim's daughter with you?" She asked in a child-like voice.

"We're not interrogating her, Bones. She was four when her father disappeared. I highly doubt she's our murderer. We're just going to talk to her."

"Well, can I talk to her with you?"

He shook his head. "No, Bones."

"Why? Because now you have Casey as your partner instead?"

"This has nothing to do with Casey."

"She's very pretty," Brennan commented.

"What?"

"Casey. She's very pretty. I'm sure you noticed."

"I…yeah, she's pretty. So what?"

"She's very much your type."

"Are you trying to start an argument, Bones?"

"I…" Her intention had not been to argue with him. Her intention had been quite the opposite. "I want to go home. If you won't let me work, I want to go home."

"Alright. I'll take you home."

"That's not necessary." She stood up. "I'll simply get a ride to the Jeffersonian. My car is there anyway."

"You shouldn't be driving, Bones. You know that."

"There is absolutely no reason why I can't drive."

"The medication you're on for one. The fact that your wrists hurt if you so much as move in the wrong direction."

"I can drive home," she stated.

She headed for the door, but Booth was faster. He pushed back in his chair, stood up, and was in front of her before she even knew what happened. When she moved to the side to walk past him, he stepped in front of her, blocking her.

"Let me by," she insisted.

"No." Booth put his hand on her hip, stopping her. He knew in her state, there was no way she would be able to overpower him. It was probably the one time he knew she couldn't win physically.

"What did you want to ask me?"

"What?"

"When you first came in here, you said that you wanted to ask me something. What did you want to ask me?" Her eyes were focused on the ground. "Bones?"

She looked him in the eye. "Stay with me," she whispered.

"What?"

"Stay with me. Tonight. Stay with me tonight. I can't…I don't want to be alone."

"Oh, Bones…"

He pulled her against his chest gently. She tucked her head under his chin and allowed him to hug her. It felt good being in his arms. She felt his hands rubbing her back soothingly. She closed her eyes momentarily, taking in the peaceful moment. Then she realized that he hadn't answered her question. He hadn't agreed to stay with her. Instead he hugged her as if he were avoiding the question. Brennan's eyes jerked open as she realized that she could have made the biggest mistake of her life. She pulled away from him. He looked surprised.

"Bones?"

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

She went to walk away. He instinctively grabbed her arm, but immediately regretted it as he heard a cry escape her lips. He immediately let her go.

"God, Bones, I'm sorry."

"Forget it," she said. She walked out into the hallway, heading straight for the elevators. He immediately followed her.

"Don't walk away," he pleaded.

"Don't follow me."

"What he hell, Bones?"

She whipped around and glared at him. She was using her anger to keep her tears away.

"Excuse me?"

"One minute you're fine and the next minute you're pushing me away and practically running away from me. What gives?"

She lowered her voice so that the people walking around them couldn't hear. "I am not running away. I asked you to stay with me, and you said nothing so I am simply going home."

"Of course I'll stay with you."

She shook her head, confused. She wondered if she missed something. Had he agreed and she didn't notice?

"But you didn't…you didn't say you would. You just…hugged me."

"I kind of assumed that the hug meant I was staying."

"Oh."

"I'm sorry, Bones. I should know not to assume anything when it comes to you and social cues."

"Now you're making fun of me."

"No I'm not. Look, let's just go. Let's get out of here. I'll take you home and we can…"

"Do another puzzle?" She asked, her eyes sparkling with laughter.

"If that's what you want to do, Bones, then yeah, we can do another puzzle."

"You have to meet with the victim's daughter."

"I'll have Casey do it."

"No. This is your case. You should do it."

"Bones…"

"I'll have Angela pick me up and take me home. I wanted to work on my book anyway. And then later, after you're done, you can come over and bring Italian since we didn't quite get the chance to eat it last time, and then we can…talk."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I'm sure. Go help that family find peace, Booth."

He nodded. "I will."

"Then I'll see you later?"

"Absolutely."

Brennan smiled and continued walking towards the elevator. Booth stood still, watching her go.

"Bones," he called out before she turned the corner.

She turned back around. "Yeah?"

"If I call Angela and she tells me you drove home, I'll make sure you don't go to work for ten weeks."

"You can't do that."

"Yes I can. I'll just tell the FBI that you're not mentally competent to return to work."

"You wouldn't."

"Try me," he said, smirking.

"You're not being very nice, Booth."

"I'll see you tonight, Bones."

Booth saw her roll her eyes as she turned the corner and disappeared from sight.

Author's Note: There's a lot more Brennan and Booth to come so stay tuned!


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36**

Monday

7:42 PM

Brennan pulled on a pair of blue and white striped pajama pants and looked at herself in the mirror. The T-Shirt and pants she was wearing covered most of the remaining marks that Collin Brown had left on her, but it wasn't the marks she was worried about. She was worried about whether or not she was wearing the right thing. Brennan rarely cared what she looked like, but she was about to go into unchartered territory. She had blatantly asked Booth to spend the night and she wasn't sure even she knew what it meant. She had a vision of herself falling asleep in his arms like she had done that night in the hospital, but she knew logically, he would probably stay on the couch while she slept in her bed. After all, they were only partners.

Brennan looked over at her bureau, wondering if she should change back into regular clothes. She didn't know if being in her pajamas would send the wrong kind of message. Her thoughts were cut short when she heard a knocking at her door. Brennan's heart jumped as she walked out of the bedroom. She stood in the middle of her living room, not moving. She still didn't know what she was doing. Was she wrong to have asked him to stay? Would it be the beginning of something new?

"Bones?" She heard him call out.

Hearing his voice made Brennan start moving again. She walked to the door and opened it. Booth was standing at the door in Jeans and a plain, black T-Shirt. He had a bag of takeout in one hand and duffle bag in the other. Brennan's mouth went dry. She was completely taken by him.

"Can I come in?" Booth asked.

"Of course."

Brennan stepped aside and Booth walked into her apartment. He put the takeout down on the dining room table and set his duffle bag down next to the couch.

"You look relaxed," Booth commented.

"I've been working on my book."

"That's good. I just hope you haven't been typing too much. You know what Dr. London said about typing."

"Did you memorize everything Dr. London said?" Brennan asked.

"Since I knew you'd want to break every one of his rules, yeah, I did."

"They weren't rules, Booth."

"You're right. They were restrictions and you seem hell bent on not listening to any of them."

"I haven't consumed any alcohol since I got home. That was one of his restrictions."

"I'm very proud of you, Bones."

"Are you being sarcastic?"

"Not at all," he replied, teasingly. Booth ripped open the plastic bag that had the takeout in it. He pulled out three Styrofoam containers.

"What did you get me?" Brennan asked.

"Your favorite."

Booth opened each of the containers and peeked inside. He put one in front of the chair he was standing in front of and one in front of the chair opposite him. The other stayed in the middle. Brennan walked into the kitchen and took a set of silverware for each of them out of her silverware drawer, two sprites from her refrigerator, and napkins from an overhead cabinet. She brought everything she had retrieved over to the table and put them down in front of the two chairs. They both sat down. Brennan put the napkin in her lap and opened up her container.

"Fettuccine Alfredo," she said, smiling.

"I told you I got your favorite." He lifted up the top off the container in the middle of the table. "And breadsticks."

"This looks amazing," Brennan commented.

"I got it from that new Italian place that's right down the street from the Hoover building." He stabbed some of his pasta with his fork and shoved it into his mouth. "Looks like this place is a keeper, Bones."

"And what did you get?"

"Penne in pink vodka sauce."

"Can I try?" Brennan took her fork and went to scoop up some food from his container, but he pulled it away.

"You have your own, Bones."

"Yes, but I'd like to try some of yours."

"Why?"

"Because I'd like to know if this place is a keeper or not. Not that I know what that means."

Booth laughed and slid his container closer to hers. She took a few pieces of penne on her fork and ate it.

"That's very good," she said.

"I told you."

Brennan focused back on her own food.

"So, did you and Casey find anything out from talking to the victim's daughter?"

"Uh-uh. No work talk at the dinner table."

"But we talk about work all the time over dinner."

"This is different."

"Why is this different?"

"Because it just is, Bones."

"You won't let me work and now you won't let me even talk about work? That seems highly unfair, Booth."

"You're recovering, Bones."

"It doesn't mean I'm an invalid."

"Ok, fine. I can't win with you." She smiled at him. "The victim's daughter didn't remember anything."

"Well, of course not, she was only four."

"But we did find out that a man named David Caster owed our victim a lot of money. With him dead, David didn't owe him the money anymore."

"Money is a good motive for murder."

"Yes it is. There's only one problem."

"What's that?"

"David Caster died of cancer twenty years ago. If he was our murderer, it's too late."

"Even if it was him, at least you can find out the truth. Give his daughter some peace."

"You're right, Bones."

She slurped a strand of fettuccine in her mouth. Booth smiled when he saw a smudge of Alfredo sauce on the side of her lips.

"Why are you smiling?" She asked.

"No reason," he replied, unable to stop smiling.

Booth slowly got out of his chair and made his way over to her. He knelt down beside her.

"Booth, what are you…"

He lifted his hand slowly so as not to scare her away. Using the pad of his thumb, he wiped the spot away. He knew he had two choices. He could wipe the sauce off his thumb with a napkin or he could take a chance. Booth chose to take a chance. He popped his thumb into his mouth and licked the sauce off of his finger. Brennan sat completely silently, gaping at him.

"You had a little sauce on your lips," he said. Just as quietly as he went up to her, Booth slinked back to his seat.

"Thank you," she stuttered. Her heart was racing.

"Don't mention it. So, you said you were working on your newest book?"

"Ah…yeah. My publisher has been nagging me for a new manuscript and, since you won't let me work, I figured this is the perfect time to start writing one."

"You're still taking it easy, though, right? I mean, writing a book still counts as working and you need to give your body time to rest and heal."

"Don't worry, Booth."

"I can't help but worry."

"I know." She paused, wondering if she was ready to talk about the whole reason she had asked him to stay. "Sweets and I talked about that."

"About me worrying?"

She nodded. "Yes. We also talked about how you have an alpha male personality."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"No. Every society needs them. Alpha males have a very strong protective instinct. They want to defend what they think is rightfully theirs."

"That sounds about right."

"You want to protect me."

"Always."

"And I need to let you." She put down her fork, needing to completely concentrate on what she was about to tell him. "I'm afraid, Booth."

"Afraid of what?"

"I'm afraid that when I close my eyes, I'll see him. I'm afraid that I'm going to wake up and be back in that basement." He was kneeling in front of her in seconds. He held her hands as she spoke, reminding her that he was there. "And I'm afraid that when you find out that I am not compartmentalizing this, that I'm not strong enough to deal with this that you'll…you'll leave me."

"Oh, Bones." He ran his thumb back and forth over her knuckles. "Look at me, Bones. Look at me." She lifted her head up to meet his eyes. "That will never happen."

"You don't…you don't think I'm weak because I can't forget what happened?"

"Nothing about you is weak, Bones. You are the strongest person I know."

"It's not rational. Feeling the way I feel. I know he's gone, Booth. I know I'm safe and that he can't hurt me, but at night…when I'm alone at night, I just…it's like I forget that he's gone. I forget that he's gone and I'm scared. That's why I went to the Jeffersonian last night. I just needed to sleep. I needed to sleep and not think of him. I know it's not logical. I mean, I've seen the evidence that he's gone, but…"

"Some things aren't logical, Bones." He lifted his hand up and stroked her hair. "You have to let yourself feel."

"I don't know how."

"Yes, you do. Don't think. Just feel."

Booth stroked her cheek with his thumb. Their eyes were locked. They could see the tears swimming in each other's eyes. Booth knew what he had to do. He was telling Brennan that she had to do what she felt when he was the one not doing just that. Brennan parted her lips, ready to speak when Booth gently pressed his lips against hers. He held still, testing the waters. He could feel her stiffen, but then begin to melt. Her lips moved slightly against his and he realized that she was kissing him back.

He angled his head so he had better access to her. She tasted better than he remembered from that one moment under the mistletoe. She tasted sweet and spicy all rolled into one. His head was swimming with desire, but he knew he couldn't take it too far. She wasn't ready for that. Booth broke away, leaving both their lips tingling. He looked into her eyes, wondering what she was thinking. He needed to be sure that she wouldn't run. Unexpectedly, Brennan didn't look scared or angry. She looked surprised, but completely comfortable.

"Booth," she whispered breathlessly.

"Don't think. Just feel."

She connected their lips once again. It was a light kiss and lasted only seconds, but it said so much more. She had only kissed him once before on the dare from Caroline, but already his lips felt familiar. She felt comfortable kissing him. She felt safe.

"We're going to get through this together, Bones," Booth whispered. "Me and you. Just like always. And I promise you, I will never leave you."

Brennan wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him. Sitting on the edge of her chair, she leaned on him as his arms encircled her waist. She rested her head on his shoulders as tears swarmed down her face, soaking his shirt. He stroked her hair and ran his hand down her back as she cried. He said her name over and over again, making quiet promises that everything was going to be alright.

As her tears began to subside, Booth securely put one arm around her back and the other underneath her knees. She let out a small gasp as he lifted her up. Thankfully he could tell it was a gasp of surprise and not pain. He moved with her carefully through her apartment and into her bedroom. She kept her head buried against his shoulder and her arms tightly around his neck. As he approached her bed, Booth slowly lowered her and laid her down on her side. He crawled over her and laid down beside her. She immediately backed up against him so her back was against his front. He rested his arm at her waist and she put her head on his other arm. He kissed the back of her neck as they settled together.

"Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you for everything."

"Sleep, Bones," he whispered against her ear. "You're safe. No more nightmares. No more fears. I'm here. And you're safe."

She fell asleep to the soothing sound of his voice.

Author's Note: Ok, so I hope everyone is happy with this chapter. I have to admit that this chapter was a little guilty pleasure of mine because I'm just a sucker for romance and for little moments like wiping food off someone's chin and carrying a person to bed. I just can't help it. Anyway, there's still quite a bit more to come so stay tuned!


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37**

Tuesday

7:29 AM

Brennan felt herself cocooned in his arms. She sighed in contentment as she opened her eyes slowly. She glanced down at his arm wrapped around her. His hand was resting lightly on top of hers. As she entwined her fingers with his against her hip, she realized that she had slept peacefully through the whole night. She hadn't been afraid. She hadn't thought about Collin Brown at all. It was the first night since she had gotten home since the nightmares hadn't consumed her. Brennan also realized how very easily she could get used to waking up to him. She glanced over at the clock next to her bed. She knew she should get up and start getting ready for the day, but she didn't want to get up just yet.

Although she didn't want to wake him, she wanted to see him. Brennan turned her body slowly. It was still somewhat painful for her to move, but she learned what movements were more painful than others and she used her knowledge to her advantage. He stirred slightly in his sleep, but didn't wake. Instead, he just tightened his grip on her. Brennan snuggled against him and raised her head enough so she could kiss him lightly on the cheek. She thought she saw a small smile spread on his lips. She tucked her head under his chin, against his shoulder. She breathed in his scent, making her feel dizzy. She had always loved his scent. It was just so overpoweringly masculine. Logically, she knew it had more to do with his pheromones than anything that he did purposely like put on aftershave or cologne, but that just made it all the more enticing. She was attracted to him on an undeniable biological level.

Brennan closed her eyes, taking in everything she was feeling. She had never believed in love. Love to her was nothing more than an emotional response to a biological need. She always accepted that she needed her biological urges filled, but that she did not need to form emotional connections to others. She never believed that she could love someone unconditionally for the rest of her life. But, lying in his arms, she started to believe that she might be able to.

Knowing that she had things that needed to get done before her day could begin, Brennan began to move. She didn't want to leave him, but the rational part of her brain took over. Even though she wanted to, she couldn't stay in his arms forever. Taking one last, lingering moment to feel her body pressed against him, she finally let go of his hand. She began to squirm out from under his arm. Finally out of his grasp, she began to scoot to the edge of the bed. She knew she would have difficulty getting up and moving as she did every morning, but she knew she was going to have to take the painful first steps. She preferred taking them when he wasn't awake to see how much pain she was really in.

It took Brennan close to five minutes to get herself standing. Her breathing was labored, but she took the few steps out of her bedroom and closed the door behind her so that he couldn't hear her. She moved towards the couch and stopped to lean on it. Glancing at the table, she remembered how they had left their food out from the night before. After catching her breath, she made her way over to the table and began to clean up their mess. Neither of them had eaten much for dinner, but she wasn't feeling particularly hungry. Her appetite had lessened significantly since her ordeal. Brennan worked quickly, clearing the mess from the dining room table. She threw their forks into the sink to wash them later and went back for the cans of sprite that she had left behind. As she approached the table, she tripped on a wrinkle in the rug and she hit the edge of the table forcefully. Instinctively, she put her hands out to stop her, but only ended up doing more damage. She cried out as her ribs made contact with the table and her wrists snapped back as she tried to break her fall.

Booth woke up to the sound of a muffle cry. His eyes shot open. He immediately realized that she was no longer in his arms and he panicked. He jumped off the bed, threw her bedroom door open, and saw her standing by the table, clutching her left hand. She was doubled over, her head down.

"Bones."

Booth raced to her side and put his arm around her. He led her over to the couch and helped her lay down. He brushed the hair away from her face and watched a tear fall from her eyes.

"What can I do?"

"Nothing. I'm fine," she said breathlessly threw gritted teeth.

"You're not fine," Booth replied.

He saw the way she was nursing her left wrist. He didn't know exactly what happened, but he knew she was hurting.

"I just…need a minute."

Booth stroked her hair as she closed her eyes and focused on the pain leaving her body. After nearly five minutes, Brennan finally opened her eyes.

"I'm sorry I woke you," she said quietly.

"Oh Bones," Booth said, kissed her on the forehead. Only Brennan would be worried that she woke him while in such tremendous pain. "What were you doing out here?"

"Trying to clean up," she answered. "I tripped."

"I could have cleaned up."

"I know, but I wanted to."

"Why didn't you wake me?"

"Because you were sleeping. You looked...peaceful."

"You were watching me?" He asked, smirking.

"No," she answered quickly. He knew she was lying immediately, but he let it slide. He could see in her face that the pain she was feeling was disappearing. He looked down at her lips and thought about kissing her again, but he wasn't sure what she would do. He had taken a chance the night before. He had kissed her and she hadn't run. She had actually kissed him back. He wondered if she would do the same thing again if he tried it again.

"So..." Booth said. He thought about bringing up the kiss. It was obvious they needed to talk about what had happened. "What do you want to do today?" He knew the question was lame, but it was all he could come up with.

"It's Wednesday, Booth."

"So?"

"So, you need to go to work."

"I can take a day off."

"You've already taken too much time off. I don't need a babysitter."

"I didn't say you did, Bones."

She began to sit up slowly. He put his hand behind her, ready to catch her if she should fall. She sat up and he immediately brought himself up to occupy the space next to her.

"Besides," she said. "I have somewhere I have to be."

He ran his finger down her bare arm, causing her to shiver. "Oh? And where's that?"

"I have an appointment with my physical therapist and then I'm seeing Dr. London."

"Well, I can take you to your appointments and then we can...hang out."

"Hang out?"

"Yeah, you know, kick back, relax, enjoy each other's company." He began to swirl his finger around her arm, drawing patterns on her skin.

"You have a case to solve."

"Casey can handle it for the day." Brennan immediately pulled her arm away from him. She pushed away from him, leaving a gap between them. Booth immediately noticed her coldness and he knew why. "You're jealous of Casey, aren't you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You're jealous that I'm working with Casey and not you."

"That's absurd."

He leaned in close so he could whisper in her ear. "Would it make you less jealous to know that every moment I work with her, I wish it was with you?"

Brennan turned away from him. She reveled in the feeling of his lips so close to her ear and his warm breath on her skin, but she was not about to fall under his intoxicating spell. It did make her jealous to know that while she was sitting home being forced to work on her book, he was spending long hours in the office with Casey. She knew it was irrational, but it didn't matter.

"I'm not jealous," she stated very matter of factly.

"Yes you are," he teased.

She turned to look at him with fire in her eyes.

"Why would I be jealous of her?"

"Because you think she's trying to take your job as my partner."

He leaned in close to her, ready to kiss her again.  
"You're free to work with whoever you want."

"Is that right? Then why are you so jealous?"

Brennan attempted to stand up, wanting to get away from him. As she lifted herself off the couch, she felt her head spin and the air rushed out of her lungs. Booth wrapped his arm around her waist, steadying her.

"Woah, Bones. You don't need to be so upset."

"I'm not upset," she said trying wriggle free from his grasp.

"You're going to hurt yourself."

"Then let me go."

Booth reluctantly let her go. He watched her walk into her bedroom, slamming the door behind her. He sat down on the couch, wondering how that had gone so horribly wrong. He hadn't meant to upset her. He was just teasing her. Booth rubbed his hand over his face. He was somehow going to have to fix his mistake. Booth sat on the couch, thinking about his options. He could storm into her bedroom, confess his love for her, and hope that she didn't run. Or he could sit and wait for her to emerge and apologize for being so insensitive while his feelings remained masked. After twenty minutes, realizing that he was running out of options, Booth stood up and was about to walk to her door when it opened. Brennan was standing in the doorway with her hair and makeup done, dressed in Jeans and a pink shirt with lace running along the neckline. As always, she looked amazing.

"Listen, Bones..."

"You'll have to drop me off at the hospital before you go to work since I don't have my car," she said.

"Oh...ok."

"I'll find a ride home."

"I can stay and take you home," he offered.

"I'll call Angela." She was leaving no room for argument and Booth wasn't about to start arguing. She was back to being her no-nonsense, business like self. Gone was the woman he had held in his arms. She strode confidently over to the door and picked up her purse. "Are you coming?"

"Yeah."

Brennan opened the door and stepped into the hallway. Booth shook his head and began following her. On his way, he looked down at the duffle bag he had packed. He had packed enough clothes and toiletries to last him a few days. He had secretly been hoping while he packed that he would be staying with her for a few days. He knew that probably wasn't the case anymore, but he left the duffle bag there just in case.

They made their way down to Booth's car in silence. He attempted to open the door for her, but she blocked him and opened it herself. As she settled in her seat and Booth walked around the car and got in on the passenger side, he looked over at her. Her jaw was clenched, her hands wrapped in tight fists. She was fighting through pain. Knowing there was nothing he could do, Booth started driving towards the hospital. They took the trip in silence. Brennan kept her eyes trained on the window. Booth snuck glances at her every once and a while, but he didn't say anything.

As he pulled up in front of the entrance to the hospital, Brennan went to reach for the car door handle, but Booth placed his hand on her arm. She turned to look at him. She didn't look as stern or cold as she had in her apartment. She actually looked hurt, and it wasn't because of her broken ribs or the surgeries she had been through.

"We need to talk," Booth said quietly.

"I'm going to be late," Brennan replied.

"Bones..." There were so many things he wanted to say, but he knew it wasn't the time or place. "Tonight. We can talk tonight."

Brennan looked back towards the window. "I don't think we have anything to talk about."

"How can you say that?" When she didn't respond, he felt his question bared repeating.

"Bones, after last night, how can you say that?"

"I'm going to be late."

"Talk to me." He hooked his finger under her chin and guided her head to turn around to look at him. "Bones..."

"There are things I'm feeling, Booth, that I don't understand and..." She paused. "You're right. We should talk. Tonight. We can talk tonight," she said smiling.

He looked into her eyes and nodded. Somehow he knew everything was going to work out.

"Ok," he said. "Come on, I'll help you out."

When she didn't show any signs of protesting, he got out of the car and walked around to her side. He opened the door and offered her his hand.

"You don't have to come in with me," she said as they began walking into the hospital.

"Yes I do. I told you I'd never leave you. I'm not going to start now."

He linked his fingers through hers and squeezed her hand. He was about to let go of her hand when she gripped his hand more tightly. They walked through the hallways of the hospital holding hands. It was a strange experience, but it was a comforting one.

When they reached the physical therapy wing, Brennan checked in at the main desk. A young, male doctor automatically came out. Booth couldn't help but notice he was a good looking guy.

"Dr. Brennan, we're ready for you," he said.

Brennan was about to follow him when Booth leaned down and brushed his lips quickly against hers. He knew he was making a bold move, but he wanted to make a statement. Brennan was his and he wanted everyone, including the young, handsome doctor, to know it. When he pulled away from her, he could see the surprised look on her face. She smiled at him.

"I'll see you tonight, Bones," he said.

"Tonight," she whispered.

Brennan followed the doctor into the next room. Booth stood where he was, temporarily watching her through the glass windows that allowed him to see everything that was going on in the room. There were other patients working on weight machines and other gadgets he had no idea what they were for, but he only had eyes for Brennan. He watched as the doctor had her sit on a high bench. She stuck out both her arms in front of her and the doctor inspected both her wrists. Booth could tell that words were being exchanged as the doctor picked up her right wrist. She turned it slightly to the left and then slightly to the right. Booth focused on her face, seeing her eyes widen as her wrist was stretched. The doctor took her wrist and bent it slowly backwards. Her eyes immediately closed and she bit her bottom lip so hard that she drew blood. Booth had to look away seeing the pain she was in. She didn't cry out. She didn't make a sound, but Booth could see it in her face. It was a face that he never wanted to see again.

Author's Note: I apologize for not updating sooner. It's the end of the school year and things have been quite busy! I hope you enjoyed it. Thank you for reading!


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter 38**

Tuesday

8:24 AM

Booth walked through the sliding doors of the Jeffersonian and onto the platform. He headed straight for Hodgins, Cam, and Angela who were all huddled around Hodgins' computer. Booth hadn't planned on going to the lab. He had planned on staying at the hospital while Brennan had her physical therapy even though she wouldn't know it. He was going to wait for her physical therapy to be done and then he was going to talk to Dr. London to make sure Brennan was taking care of herself and healing successfully. Then Booth's plan was to go home, shower, change, and eventually go to FBI headquarters where he was going to tell Casey that they couldn't work the case together anymore. He knew it was childish, but if working with Casey made Brennan jealous, he was going to sever the partnership before Brennan started getting the wrong idea. As he was sitting in the hospital cafeteria waiting for Brennan to be done, though, Booth had gotten the call from Hodgins that they had found something important that just couldn't wait. He hadn't wanted to leave her, but Booth left the hospital and headed straight for the Jeffersonian.

"What have we got?" Booth asked as he approached them.

They all turned to look at him. "Did we miss the dress down day memo?" Cam asked, taking in his Jeans and T-Shirt.

"I haven't been home to change," Booth replied.

"Where were you last night?" Angela questioned a little too excitedly.

"I was at..." He didn't finish. He didn't need Angela to start squealing just because he spent the night at Brennan's. "It doesn't matter. What did you find?"

"I found strands of cotton fibers in the rib cage," Hodgins answered.

"Wouldn't that be from the clothing he was wearing at the time of his death?" Booth asked.

"That's what we thought, too," Cam explained. "But there are two distinct fibers. Clark figured out that the victim was struck to death until his ribs broke and punctured his lungs.""

Hodgins grabbed a controller from his computer station and turned it on. The large monitor hanging beside them turned on. There were two images on the screen. On the left was a picture of the victim next to a magnified strand of red string. On the right side was a magnified strand of something that was white.

"Our victim was wearing a red sweater when he disappeared. The red fibers we found, made out of wool, were found in his ribcage. They must have been embedded when he was struck," Hodgins stated.

"What about the white one?" Booth wondered, trying to connect the dots.

"The white strand is standard cotton," Angela said as she took the controller from Hodgins and pressed a button. A picture of the victim's brother appeared on the screen next to the white fiber. "Our victim's brother was a member of the US Marines. Every marine is issued a pair of white gloves made out of cotton as part of their uniform."

"So, you're saying that the victim's brother punched him to death while in uniform?"

"The white strand matches standard military issued gloves," Hodgins answered.

"But that still doesn't mean the brother did it," Booth replied.

"You're right," Cam said. "We'd need to match his gloves exactly to the strand Hodgins found."

"But the brother's dead," Booth reminded them.

"True, but what's one thing that always gets passed down in families when there's a relative in the military?" Angela asked.

"Their uniform," Booth answered.

"Exactly," Cam responded. "We just need to get our hands on those white gloves so Hodgins can match the fibers."

"I'll contact the daughter and see if she knows where her uncle's uniform is," Booth said. "Good work everyone."

Booth took out his phone and was walking down the platform when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around and saw Angela practically beaming at him.

"You spent the night at Brennan's, didn't you?" She asked, her eyes dancing with jubilation.

"Angela..."

"Oh come on, you can tell me. When I brought her home yesterday she told me that she asked you to stay. So, did you?"

Booth leaned in closer to her so others around them wouldn't overhear. "Yes," he answered. He knew there was no use trying to hide from Angela. Somehow she would figure out what had happened anyway.

She clapped her hands together and nearly jumped. "That's great!"

"Could we keep this quiet for now? I don't want Bones to freak out."

"Did you tell her?"

"Tell her what?"

She rolled her eyes. Sometimes she couldn't understand how Booth could be so totally clueless. "Did you tell her how you feel about her?"

"Well, not exactly."

Her eyes grew wide and she squealed a high pitch squeal. "Did you show her how you feel?" She raised her eyebrows as she asked him and he knew exactly what she was implying.

"Are you in Sweets in cahoots or something? Do you honestly thing I would take advantage of her considering what she's been through?"

"Of course not, but you did at least kiss, right? Right?"

"Angela, I don't think this is an appropriate conversation."

"Booth, please. Do I need to start batting my eyelashes?"

Booth didn't answer right away. He knew if Angela put on her pouty face and batted her eyelashes, he'd be a goner. He figured he mine as well answer and get it over with.

"We...sort of...yeah, we kissed."

Angela was dancing from foot to foot, unable to contain herself.

"And she didn't run, did she? I told you she wouldn't run."

"No, she didn't run."

"So...what happens now? Are you two going to move in together, get married, and have a bunch of gorgeous babies?"

"We are talking about the same Bones right?"

"Alright so maybe the marriage and the baby thing is a little much, but come on, tell me what happened."

"Nothing happened. We're just going to talk."

"Talk?"

"Yeah, tonight." Angela rolled her eyes. "What was that for?"

"The two of you spend too much time talking. You need to let yourselves just feel. Forget thinking about it, just get naked and do it already."

"Goodbye, Angela," Booth said as he walked out of the lab, shaking his head.

7:35 PM

Booth was frantically typing, hoping that he would be able to get the report done on their latest case. That was the one thing he hated about working at the FBI. There were some days where he felt like he did more paperwork than actual field work. Even though he hated doing them, he tried to take his time with reports so that he could make sure to include every detail. He never wanted his work to look sloppy or rushed. Knowing that she was waiting for him, though, made him want to fly through the report. He wanted to see her. But more than that, he wanted to tell her. After talking to Angela, Booth had made up his mind in the car ride over to headquarters that he was going to come clean. No matter what the consequences. No matter how she would react, he was going tell her that he loved her. He only hoped she would have the response he wanted.

The buzzing of his cell phone startled him. Booth picked it up off his desk and smiled when he looked at it. He opened it up and read the text message.

'Dr. London cleared me to drive. Angela dropped off my car. Dinner tonight?'

Booth smiled, thinking about how much she must have nagged Angela to bring her her car. He texted her back.

'Thai? Chinese? Pizza?'

He waited for her reply.

'Let's go out. Tired of being home. Founding Fathers. 8:00?'

'You can't drink.'

'Dr. London also said I could start drinking in moderation.'

'Then Founding Fathers at 8 it is.' He was about to press send, when he decided to take another chance. 'Miss you, Bones.'

He wondered what she would say. He didn't have to wait long before his phone buzzed again.

'See you at 8'

Booth put his phone back down on his desk. He only had two hours left and he needed to get his work done. He hoped that if he got all of the necessary paperwork done before dinner, he could take the next day out of work and spend it with Bones. Only, of course, if the night went as he planned.

"Hey Booth," Casey said, standing in his doorway. She could tell he was concentrating on something. "Are you busy?"

"No, come on in."

Casey walked into his office. She didn't bother to sit.

"We located the victim's brother's uniform. One of his children had it in the attic. It's already at the Jeffersonian. Dr. Hodgins is analyzing it as we speak. I just thought you'd want to know."

"That's great Casey, thanks." She lingered at his desk, watching him.

"How's Dr. Brennan?" She asked.

"She's doing well, thank you," Booth answered.

"She doesn't like me very much."

"Well, neither did I when I first met you."

He smiled because he knew he finally could. Even though at the moment he met Casey, he hated her because he thought she was taking over trying to find Brennan, he could smile about it now because Brennan was safe.

"She's as protective over you as you are of her," Casey commented. "She just doesn't show it as much."

"She's jealous of you," Booth said. "She would never admit it, but she is."

"I got that vibe yesterday when she gave me the cold shoulder." Casey sat down, suddenly feeling more comfortable. "Does she think I'm trying to take you away from her?"

"Something like that."

"Well, maybe if you told her how you really felt about her, she wouldn't have to be jealous."

"Did you and Angela plan this or something?"

"Plan what?"

"Jumping all over me to tell Bones how I feel."

"It's almost been three weeks since she woke up, Booth. I think you've stalled long enough."

"It's taken me four years to even consider telling her. Three weeks is nothing."

"When did you know?"

"What?"

"When did you know you were in love with her?"

"I don't know."

"Yes you do."

"Why are we talking about this?"

"Because I want to know."

"This is ridiculous."

"Do I need to get Angela in here? Because she'll get you to talk."

Booth huffed. "I think I've always known. I might not have been willing to admit it out loud, but I've always known."

"But there has to be a moment. Everyone has a moment when they know."

"Why are you so interested in me and Bones?"

"Because I haven't found Princess Charming yet and until them, I choose to live vicariously through other people."

"Wait...did you just say Princess Charming?"

"Yup."

"But..."

"I'm a lesbian, Agent Booth."

Booth's eyes grew wide. He was speechless. "But...but you're...you're pretty."

She laughed. "Well, thank you. Lesbians aren't ugly, Agent Booth. Well, at least not all of us."

"I know. I'm sorry. I'm just...shocked."

"Well, I just thought I'd let you know so Dr. Brennan can stop being so jealous. I'm not interested in you, Agent Booth."

"Not even a little bit?" He joked.

"Not even a little bit. Now, tell me when you knew you were in love with her."

Booth stopped and thought. He knew there were a million moments where he realized he loved Brennan. The first time he heard her laugh. The first time she stole a fry from his plate. The moment he saw her in the beautiful blue dress she wore to the Jeffersonian gala. The way she looked amazing in anything she wore. But there was one moment. There was one moment he realized he loved her unconditionally. There was one moment he realized he would rather die than spend the rest of his life without her.

"The gravedigger," he said quietly.

"The what?"

"The gravedigger was a serial killer who took victims and tortured them by burying them underground or containing them in an area where they would suffocate to death due to lack of air."

"I remember reading about that case. Did you work on it with Dr. Brennan?"

Booth nodded. "He took her. And Hodgins. We had twelve hours to find them before they ran out of air. There was nothing we could do. We tried everything...we even got this cryptic message from their cell phone, but...even with that...there I was standing in the lab at the Jeffersonian...watching the clock. I was standing there when the clock ticked down to zero. Our twelve hours were up."

"But they survived."

"Only because they're the two most brilliant people I know. They were able to buy themselves more time and eventually we found them, but I was almost too late. Watching that clock reach zero...that's when I knew. That's when I knew I was in love with her. That's probably not as romantic as you were hoping, but that's the truth."

"You two have been through a lot."

"Yes, we have. And, if it wasn't for me, she would be fine."

"What do you mean?"

"If it wasn't for me...if she didn't work with me, she would be safe in her lab doing the kind of work she was meant to do. But no, I drag her out into the field and get her caught up in the gravedigger and Collin Brown and a whole host of other dangerous situations."

"I don't think Dr. Brennan gets dragged anywhere."

"Still, if she didn't work with me, she would be safe."

"But she wouldn't be happy."

"I..."

A shrill sound cut him off. Casey reached for her phone, opened it, and put it to her year.

"Agent Casey Temple," she answered. She paused, listening to the person on the other end of the phone. "That's great news. Thank you." She hung up her phone. "Dr. Hodgins matched the glove from our victim's brother to the fiber found in his rib cage. Look like we found our murdered."

"Yeah, our murderer who's already dead."

"At least the family can finally know what happened."

"Yeah, but at what cost? The man murdered his brother. Somehow I don't think that'll go over so well over Christmas dinner."

"I'm going to inform the daughter." Casey stood up. "She'll follow you whether you want her to or not. Don't do anything stupid, Booth."

Author's Note: I know this wasn't the "talk" everyone was waiting for, but, don't worry, it's coming. I just couldn't resist another chapter with Angela. Thanks for reading!


	39. Chapter 39

**Chapter 39**

Tuesday

8:02 PM

Booth scanned the restaurant, looking for her. It was crowded for a Tuesday night. Mostly full of people in desperate need for a drink after work, the Founding Fathers was noisy and there was a lot going on. He glanced down at his watch. Knowing she wouldn't be late, he looked around for her again. He saw a dozen pretty faces as he glanced around, but he only had eyes for one woman.

He finally spotted her bright blue eyes across the room. She wasn't looking at him and he could tell that she hadn't realized he'd come in yet. She was sitting in a back corner, probably hoping for a little privacy from the rest of the crowd. He stood still, staring at her. Gone were her Jeans and T-Shirt that he had been used to seeing her in for the last week. He had gotten so used to seeing her relaxed that he had almost forgotten just how stunning she was when she was made up. Almost forgotten. The image of Brennan in a stunning blue dress at the Jeffersonian fundraiser had never completely left his mind.

Booth drank her in like a tall glass of water. He could only see her from the waist up, but that was enough. She wore a cobalt blue sleeveless top that had a scooped neck. Her hair was pinned up in curls with just a few tendrils falling by her ears. Her makeup was simple, but accentuated her cheek bones and gorgeous eyes. She was jewelry free, which surprised Booth, but surprisingly excited him at the same time. He never realized how much he liked to look at her when she had nothing but her natural beauty to rely on. And she was naturally beautiful. He wasn't sure if he had ever seen her look so breathtakingly beautiful.

And, he realized, she had dressed up for him. She wasn't playing a part while on assignment undercover or going to some gala thrown by the Jeffersonian. She was just out for a night with him. The thought made him smile. As he brought his hand up to his necktie to make sure it was on straight, she caught his eye. She smiled when she saw him and her eyes sparkled. Booth gave her a goofy wave and she giggled. He began to make his way through the crowd, wishing everyone around them would all just disappear. He didn't want to spend another second without being by her side. As he approached the table, he could start to smell her. It wasn't her usual perfume. She smelled like a mixture of daffodils and daisies, her favorite flowers. He was beginning to realize that they were becoming his favorite flowers too.

"Hi," she said when he finally made his way to the table.

"Hi yourself." He quickly kissed her cheek before sitting across from her. "You look beautiful."

She blushed. "I thought it would be nice to get dressed up for a change. Angela says it is good for a woman to get dressed up every once and a while. I'm not sure why."

Booth chuckled. "Because it drives men crazy."

Brennan suddenly looked worried. "I don't want to drive you crazy."

"Crazy is a good thing, Bones," he replied, placing his hand over hers. He immediately noticed that she left her wrist brace at home.

"So, how did it go with Dr. London?"

"He said I'm making good progress."

"That's good."

"Yes."

"But?"

"What do you mean but?"

"I can sense there's a but coming. You said you were making progress, but…"

"It's nothing."

"Bones…"

A waitress appeared and asked them for their order. Although he hadn't even looked at the menu and cared more about what Brennan was withholding from him, Booth ordered a steak, fries, and a beer. The fries, of course, were for Brennan. She ordered a Caesar wrap and salad along with a glass of red wine. Booth couldn't wait for the waitress to leave.

"So, what else did Dr. London say, Bones?" He asked as soon as the waitress was gone.

Brennan was chewing on her bottom lip as if she didn't want to tell him. It wasn't that she didn't want him to know. She just didn't want him to worry.

"I…may need another surgery on my radius and ulna," she finally said.

"English, Bones. English."

"Those are the bones in the wrist. It's my left wrist."

"But you already had two surgeries on your wrist."

"I know, but the second surgery wasn't as successful as we originally thought. I looked at the x-rays myself and I agree that a third surgery might be necessary."

"Might be necessary?"

"Dr. London and I will make a decision after I have another round of x-rays in a week. He wanted to wait two weeks, but I don't want to take a chance with my radius. It's better that we catch the problem now."

"What's the recovery time on a surgery like that?"

"Several weeks, but don't worry, Booth. I will be returning to work as I originally scheduled."

"I'm not worried about work, Bones. I'm worried about you. Your body's been through a lot. Having another surgery isn't just a little thing. It's a big deal. And what's with this schedule you say you have about returning to work?"

"It's obvious that you have strong feelings in regards to me staying out of work."

"So you can heal, Bones. That's why I want you to stay out of work."

"Well, after careful consideration, I've decided to take your feelings into account along with my needs and to return to work in one week."

"One week? What does Dr. London have to say about that?"

"He's my doctor, Booth, not my keeper."

"Don't you think you should listen to your doctor?"

"Of course, but he is using a standard amount of time to keep me out of work when he doesn't know the whole picture. He doesn't know that I am a very fast healer and that I can return to work without it being physically demanding."

"Really? You don't consider being on your feet all day physically demanding? Or the fact that sometimes you have to sift through garbage or dirt or any other amount of gross material to examine bones?"

"I'll have a graduate student do all of the physical labor if necessary."

"Bones, half the time you don't let your grad students anywhere near the bones, except for a select few and that's only because you've taken the time to personally train them on your way of doing things."

"Well, the other students might compromise the remains."

"I'll tell Sweets not to clear you to come back to work."

"He wouldn't do that."

"Why not?"

"Because he's a doctor and, unlike you, he serves under a certain code of ethics."

"Are you saying that I'm not ethical, Bones?"

"No, I'm not saying that. You have a very strong sense of ethics, Booth, but not when those ethics are standing in the way of something you truly believe in. You're driven by heart. Dr. Sweets is driven by science. Granted, it's a deeply flawed, illogical science, but a science nonetheless."

"Why don't you talk about when you're coming back to work later? I didn't invite you here to argue."

"Actually I invited you here."

"And we're still arguing."

"Sorry."

The waitress returned with their drinks. Brennan took a long sip of her wine. She wasn't sure if it was just because she had been denied alcohol for several weeks or if she felt like she needed liquid courage for the topic she knew they would ultimately discuss. Either way, she was thankful for the wine.

"I'm sorry," Booth said.

Brennan put her wine glass down, confused. "About the argument? Booth, we argue all the time. Angela says it's how we communicate best."

He shook his head. "Not about the argument. About this morning. I'm sorry I made you angry. I was only teasing you, Bones, about Casey."

"I know. At least now I know. I'm not always very good at understanding when someone is teasing and when someone is serious."

"Yeah, I should have remembered that."

"It just…it made me angry to think that you preferred working with her."

"Trust me, Bones, I don't prefer working with her. I prefer working with you. Only you."

"I'm sorry I was jealous," she said quietly, not looking at him.

He couldn't help but smile at her admission. It wasn't often that Brennan admitted that she was wrong.

"Don't ever be sorry that you're jealous," Booth replied. "It shows you care."

"I do care."

"I know."

"You kissed me," she stated. "Twice."

And there it was. Out in the open. The one thing that they both knew they were going to talk about was on the table, ready and waiting for them. Leave it to Brennan to be so blunt, Booth thought. Booth had to choose how to respond. He knew his only choice was to be open and honest. After all, that was what he had decided long ago.

"You kissed me back," he stated. "Twice."

"Last night…did you only kiss me to make me feel better?"

"No, Bones. That's not why I kissed you."

"Then why?" She wanted to hear him say it. Before she put it all out there, she needed to hear him say it.

"Because I wanted to. Because I needed to."

"I enjoyed it very much."

She was being completely frank again. It was one of the things Booth both admired and feared about her. She wasn't afraid to say what she was thinking.

"So did I."

"I'd like it if you kissed me again," she said.

He looked into her eyes, knowing that she was giving him permission to start taking their relationship to the next level.

"So would I."

Booth leaned over the table. She met him halfway. Unlike that morning at the hospital, the kiss was deep and long. Their lips glided against each other without fear and without question. When they finally broke apart, they both had smiles on their faces.

"So…" Brennan said. "What happens now?"

"We eat."

"Is food all you ever think about?"

"No, but our dinner is headed our way."

He pointed to the waitress who was walking towards them with two plates of food in her hands. She gave them each their meals and left them alone. Booth picked a fry off his plate and held it out, over the table. Brennan leaned forward and he slipped the fry between her lips. It was an incredibly sensual moment.

"This doesn't feel strange," Brennan commented as soon as she had eaten the fry.

"What? Eating?"

"No. Us. It doesn't feel weird."

"That's because it's just us, Bones. Just like always. You and me."

"You and me," she repeated.

"The only difference is, now you're my girl."

She didn't miss the humor in his voice when he called her my girl. Just weeks earlier she had told him the phrase was inappropriate. As he called her it, though, she actually liked the sound of it.

"Am I? Your girl?"

He shrugged. "Are you?"

Brennan didn't immediately answer. Instead, she picked up her fork and stabbed at her salad. As she went to bring it to her mouth, her wrist twisted just slightly and she dropped her fork. Her eyes squeezed shut as the salad dropped onto her lap and the fork fell to the floor. Booth could see the pain in her face. Something as simple as eating had caused her pain. He cursed in his head and immediately went to pick up her fork.

"I got it," Brennan said.

"No, here, let me."

"I said I got it!" She yelled.

With the fork already in his hand, Booth put it back down on the floor. He understood that she needed to feel in control and if that meant he had to let her pick up the fork, then he'd let her. He watched as she painfully leaned over and picked up the dropped fork. She put it down next to her table and closed her eyes. Booth could tell she was concentrating on pushing aside the pain, not only from her wrist, but also from her ribs. When she opened her eyes again, Booth was kneeling next to her.

"Booth, what are you…"

He had his hand out, as if waiting to hold her hand.

"Come with me."

"What?"

"We're going for a walk."

"But our food."

"I'm not that hungry anyway."

"You're always hungry."

"Come on."

She put her hand in his and he helped her to her feet, without pulling too hard. He was always conscience that the slightest movement, like when she had tried to put her fork in her mouth, could be painful.

Booth threw money on the table to pay for the meals they didn't eat and linked his fingers with hers. He led her out of the restaurant and down a few side streets until they were walking on the national mall. There were still people around, but it wasn't anywhere near as crowded as the restaurant. He wanted to be with her without the noise and the crowds. He wanted it to feel like it was just them.

"What are you thinking?" She asked.

"About how beautiful you are," he answered. "What are you thinking?"

"About what all this means."

"What what means?"

"Us."

Booth stopped walking and stood in front of her. He kept her hand in his. He felt her pull her hand away and he knew that he had unintentionally hurt her. As much as she tried to pretend she was ok, she wasn't.

"Bones, there's something I have to tell you."

He looked into her deep, blue, amazing eyes. He wanted to tell her. He was ready to tell her.

She held her breath, hoping she was about to hear what she had wanted to hear. She wasn't good at understanding other people's emotions, but she hoped she wasn't wrong. She needed him to take the first step and then she wouldn't be able to hide her feelings anymore. Dr. Temperance Brennan was finally the type of person who could fall in love.

"Bones, I…" He cupped her cheek. "I don't think we should work together anymore."

Author's Note: Ok, so I know people probably hate me right now, but just stick with me. I couldn't let the story go without one more little surprise. But, stay tuned because I promise there's more soon!


	40. Chapter 40

**Chapter 40**

Tuesday

8:51 PM

"Bones, I…" He cupped her cheek. "I don't think we should work together anymore."

"What?" She stuttered, unsure if she heard him correctly.

"I don't think we should work together anymore," Booth repeated.

Brennan immediately pulled away from him. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her eyes were wide and her lip trembled. He hadn't said he loved her like she had thought. If anything, he said the opposite. He didn't want to be with her anymore.

Booth could see the look of horror on her face. He reached out to her, but she stepped back. He wanted to hold her. He wanted to hug her and tell her that he was wrong. He hadn't meant to blurt out that he didn't think they should work together. He had meant to tell her that he loved her and couldn't stand to spend another minute without her, but it had come out wrong. He had seen her in pain at the restaurant and just couldn't stand it any longer. If not working with her was the only way to keep her safe, than he was going to have to accept that.

"Let me explain," he said.

"You don't need to explain."

"Yes, I do."

"You'd rather work with Casey," she stated. Her voice was strong even though inside she felt like she was breaking apart.

Booth shook his head. "This has nothing to do with Casey."

"I don't…"

"Listen to me, Bones. I can't stand to see you hurt. I can't stand to see you in pain…and if that means we can't work together anymore, so be it. I'd rather keep you safe, Bones. I have to keep you safe."

"This is all about your alpha male personality, isn't it?"

"Screw my alpha male personality, Bones. This is me doing what's best for you. This is me keeping you alive."

"You think this is what's best for me? You think that not working together is what's best for me?"

"Bones…" He put his hand on her arm, but she shrugged him away. She wrapped her arms around her. "I just want to protect you. Can't you see that? By working with me, you're putting your life in danger and I can't…"

"I knew it.." She could feel the tears coming. She had let down her walls and had been crushed. "I knew it."

"Knew what? What are you talking about?"

"That you'd leave me. I knew that if I opened up to you about what happened to me, you'd think I was weak and not good enough to be your partner and that you'd leave me. I knew it! I should never have told you!"

"Bones…that's not what I think. I don't think you're weak or not good enough to be my partner. I would never think that. And I'm not leaving you. That's the last thing I want to do."

"I don't understand!" She exclaimed. "You kiss me like you want something more and then you tell me that you don't want to be with me! I don't understand!"

"I do want to be with you, Bones, I just can't…we can't work together anymore. I can't let you work with me. I can't lose you. I can't watch you die, Bones just because you're my partner and get caught up in my messes. Don't you see? Please…"

Booth again attempted to reach out to her, but all she understood in what he was saying was that he didn't want to work with her. She turned away from him and began to walk away.

"Bones, please."

He put his hand on her shoulder and spun her around so she was facing him. He crashed his lips down on hers, trying to get her to see how he felt. She pulled away, slapping him across the face. It wasn't painful by any means, but it hurt him more than any physical blow could have. She immediately cradled her wrist with her other hand. Booth knew what physical pain she must have been in.

"This was a mistake," she said quietly.

"Bones…"

"This was a huge mistake," she repeated more loudly. "All of it. Kissing, opening up to you, believing that I finally met someone who wouldn't leave me…everything. Our partnership was a mistake."

"You don't mean that."

"I should never have trusted you," she said with tears rolling down her cheeks. She walked away from him, letting her tears fall freely. She had nothing left. She had put her heart out there and it had been shot down. She could feel the walls beginning to build up once more.

Booth stood still, completely stunned. He had no idea how their conversation had accelerated so drastically. As she got farther and farther away, he shook his head, wondering why he was still standing in the same spot. He ran to catch up with her. He put his hand on her arm and she glared at him with such hate in her eyes that he removed his arm immediately.

"Don't touch me," she snarled. "Don't ever touch me again."

She walked to the sidewalk and put her arm up for a taxi.

"Bones, please, let me explain."

A taxi pulled up to the sidewalk. "It's over," she said as she opened the back door. "We're over." She slipped into the taxi and it drove away.

Booth stood on the sidewalk, unable to move. His world was crumbling. She was gone. She had hit him with the worst things he could ever imagine her saying. Every word felt like a crushing blow. She didn't trust him. She regretted everything about them. Booth slumped down onto the sidewalk, sitting on the edge. He didn't know what to do next.

9:38 PM

Angela opened her apartment door. The first thing she did when she saw Brennan was pull her into a hug. She wished she could really hug her, but with her injuries, Angela settled for holding her loosely and rubbing her back. Brennan leaned against Angelas's shoulder in the doorway, not moving. She had stopped crying in the taxi and she wasn't about to start up again.

"Oh sweetie," Angela said soothingly.

Brennan picked up her head. Even though she had stopped crying, she had mascara running down her face and her hair was falling down out of the intricate up-do it had been in.

"I'm sorry," Brennan said. "I didn't know where to go. And you always said that if I needed anything, I could talk to you so…"

"You don't have to say anything else. I'm glad you came," Angela replied. "Come on."

She put her arm around Brennan's shoulder and led her into the living room. Brennan had never learned to rely on female friends. As a child, she had been shunned by her peers, especially the girls when she reached her teenage years. Even as an adult, she preferred the company of males. They were less confrontational and seemed to accept her social awkwardness more than females. Angela was one of Brennan's only real female friends. Brennan realized as the taxi driver was driving her home, that female companionship was more important to her than she knew. She did not want to go home alone and think about Booth. She wanted to be with someone who understood and accepted her and might even have had the same experience of having her heart broken.

Angela led Brennan over to her couch. Brennan sat down while Angela went into the kitchen. She returned a minute later with a glass of wine, two wine glasses, and a box of tissues. She put them down on the coffee table and poured wine into each glass until they were full.

"I can't drink that much," Brennan said.

"You won't listen to your doctor about going back to work, but you'll listen to him about that? Come on, sweetie, it won't kill you."

Angela handed Brennan one of the glasses and Brennan took a large gulp.

"So…what happened?" Angela asked.

"Booth doesn't love me," Brennan answered simply, taking another sip of her wine.

"How do you know?"

"Because he said so."

"He said he didn't love you? Are you sure he said that, Brennan, because no offense but you are not the best at reading between the lines."

"He said he didn't want us to be partners anymore."

"Oh. Did he say why?"

"He said he wanted to keep me safe."

"Well, that's just Booth being Booth. It's one of the reasons we all love him. He's protective. Especially of you."

"I never asked him to be."

"You don't have to ask, sweetie."

"But I don't understand. None of this is logical."

"Love isn't logical."

"Because love doesn't really exist. It's just biological need and pheromones and…"

"Maybe the old Brennan believed that, but you don't. Not now."

"I don't know what I believe anymore."

Brennan went to put her wine glass down. She winced as pain shot through her wrist and up to her shoulder. She knew she had been using it too much and hadn't been wearing her brace.

"Are you ok?"

She nodded. "I sort of…slapped him."

Angela's eyes widened and she smiled. "You slapped him? Good for you, sweetie."

Brennan looked confused. "I don't understand. You like Booth."

"I do."

"Then why would you want me to slap him?"

"I'm not condoning violence, but every once in a while, when a man does something as stupid as Booth just did, he deserves a good slap. Look, Booth is a good man with a good heart. My guess is he's terrified of losing you and he's trying to do what he thinks is right. Don't let him go just because he made a mistake."

Brennan took a deep breath. She couldn't make sense of it, but she felt a pain in her heart. There was no biological reason why she would feel pain. She wondered if the pain she was feeling was what people referred to as being heart broken. She had never believed in it before, but she was beginning to understand it.

"Angela?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think I could…stay here tonight?"

"Of course. Let me just tell Hodgins that he needs to leave."

Angela stood up.

"Dr. Hodgins is here?"

"He's in the bedroom."

"Were you two having intercourse?"

Angela laughed at how blatant she was. "Not yet."

"I don't want to ruin your evening."

"Trust me, Jack will understand. Just give me a minute."

Angela disappeared down the hall, leaving Brennan alone. She picked up her glass and chugged the rest of the wine.

Wednesday

12:02 AM

Booth banged on the door over and over again. When no one answered, he stepped to the side and glanced into a nearby window. All he could see was a dark room. Booth pounded on the door again. He was about to try his luck at picking the lock on the door when the outdoor light came on and the door opened.

"Agent Booth?"

Sweets was standing in the door, wearing a black bath robe. His hair was a mess and his eyes were half closed. Booth knew he woke him up, but he didn't care.

"I made a mistake," Booth said, pushing past Sweets and into the dark hallway of Sweet's house. Sweets looked at Booth and then back at the open door as if he couldn't figure out how Booth had gone from being outside his house to inside his house.

"Agent Booth, how do you know where I live?" Sweets asked.

"I looked it up in your FBI file."

"That is a clear violation of privacy, Agent Booth."

"Cut the bull, Sweets, I need your help." Sweets shut the door and flicked on the hallway light. He looked at Booth and saw that he had been crying.

"What's going on?"

"It's Bones."

"Is she alright?"

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know? If something's wrong, shouldn't you be calling the police or something instead of me?"

"I am the police, Sweets. The trouble is, I don't know where she is."

"Did you try her apartment?"

"I tried. I've been there for nearly two hours. She hasn't gone home. She won't answer my calls. I don't know where she is."

Sweets could sense the franticness in Booth's voice. He sat down on the bottom step of his stairwell and ran his hand threw his hair. Booth began pacing back and forth in the hallway.

"Why don't you start from the beginning?"

"We met for dinner to talk. I was going to tell her how I felt…you know, that I…I…"

"That you love her? It's not that hard to say, Agent Booth."

"I know it's not hard to say. I was going to tell her when I saw how much pain she was still in from her injuries. And I…I blurted out that…I told her that I didn't think we should be partners anymore."

Sweets raised his eyebrows. This was definitely beyond anything they had ever talked about in therapy.

"Why did you say that?"

"Because I'm the reason she's hurt. I'm the reason Collin Brown went after her. If we didn't work together, she would be safe."

"So you're just trying to protect her."

"Right."

"What did she say?"

"She…was angry. She thought I didn't want to work with her because I thought she was weak."

"Is that why you don't want to work with her?"

"No! And it's not that I don't want to work with her, I do. I love working with her. I fell in love with her because we work together, but…I can't see her hurt again. I can't lose her because I'm selfish enough to keep her as my partner. She's not an FBI agent, damn it. She's a scientist. She's been through enough. She shouldn't be putting herself in danger for me."

"Did you explain that to her?"

"I tried, but you know Bones. She didn't exactly understand. And then…then I kissed her to try to show her how I really felt about her, but she just slapped me and said that our entire partnership was a mistake."

"You kissed her?"

"Yeah."

"Don't you think maybe you should have told her how you felt instead of showing her?"

"It seemed like a good idea at the time. She liked it last night when I kissed her."

Sweet's eyebrows rose even higher. He wasn't aware that they had kissed at all. He felt incredibly out of the loop.

"So…you two had taken your relationship to the next level?"

"Get your mind out of the gutter, Sweets. It was just a kiss."

"Do you want my advice?" He didn't wait for an answer. "Of course you want my advice. You came to me in the middle of the night."

"Just get on with it, Sweets."

"Look, your relationship with Dr. Brennan is complicated. It's always been complicated. And, now that you've both come to the realization that your feelings for each other are far beyond that of a partner, it's become even more complicated. But both of you need to stop being afraid. You need to stop being afraid that she'll run if you tell her how you feel and that you'll lose her if she continues to work with you. And she needs to stop being afraid that every person she opens her heart to will leave her. If you two can both just get over that, maybe you have a chance at something. But, until then, you're just going to keep doing this dance around each other and you'll never be happy."

"But I can't even get her to pick up my calls!"

"I'm not saying this can be fixed right away. You need to give her time."

"I don't even know if she's ok."

"She's fine."

"You don't know that."

"Yes I do. My guess is that she's with Angela."

"How do you know that?"

"Because, when in emotional pain, women flock to other women. Even a woman like Dr. Brennan needs girl time every once and a while. There are psychological studies that show that women rely on each other for emotional support, seventy percent more than men and that in times of great emotional crises…"

"Thank you journal of psychology," Booth said. He took out his phone.

"What are you doing?" Sweets questioned.

"Calling Angela."

Sweets stood up and took the phone out of Booth's hand before he could finish dialing.

"Don't do that."

"Why not?"

"Because she needs this girl time. Angela believes in you. She believes that you and Dr. Brennan belong together. Right now, the best thing you can do is let Angela talk Dr. Brennan into talking to you and then you can talk to her."

Booth stopped to think about what Sweets said.

"You could be on to something."

"That's why I have a doctorate."

Booth clapped him on the shoulder.

"Thanks Sweets."

"No problem, but next time could you wait to have a crises until regular business hours? I really need me sleep."

Booth rolled his eyes and headed for the door. He opened it, but lingered in the doorway.

"Nice bathrobe," he commented before walking out and shutting the door behind him.

Author's Note: I know some of you were ready to strangle me after that last chapter and I'm sure some of you would still like to strangle me now, but I promise that there will be some Booth/Bones to come. I just couldn't end the story without a little more angst. Thank you for reading and please don't forget to review!


	41. Chapter 41

**Chapter 41**

Wednesday

7:15 AM

When Brennan opened her eyes, she realized that her face was squashed against the back of a leather couch. She rolled slowly onto her back and had to blink several times and rub her eyes before she remembered where she was. She wasn't asleep in her couch. She wasn't even asleep on her own couch. She was asleep on Angela's couch. She looked to her right and saw her empty wine glass next to an empty wine bottle. Even though she knew she was only supposed to drink in moderation, she had polished off the rest of the bottle. She just couldn't help it.

With a slight headache, Brennan took her time to sit up. Her ribs were aching from the uncomfortable position she had fallen asleep in on the couch. She knew she needed water. Water and her medication, which she realized she didn't have. Brennan threw her legs off the edge of the couch so she could attempt to stand. She pushed off from the couch and steadied herself. When she went to take a step, she felt herself wobbling.

"Woah, hold up Dr. B."

Brennan whipped her head around to where the voice came from. She caught a glimpse of Hodgins standing in the kitchen wearing nothing but boxers and a T-Shirt, holding a cup of orange juice before she realized right away that moving her head so fast was definitely a mistake. Woozy, she started to fall back. With his orange juice still in his hand, Hodgins made his way over to Brennan and held onto her elbow, lowering her to the couch. She put her head down, trying to get rid of the dizzy sensation that was attacking her head.

"You ok?" He asked.

Brennan looked up at him, as if wondering why he was standing there. She quickly glanced away when she realized that her head was level with his crotch.

"Dr. Hodgins, what are you doing here?"

"Angela and I take turns. You know, with whose house we're going to stay at."

"While that seems very fair and equitable, I thought you had gone home last night."

"Nope, still here."

"Pants, Dr. Hodgins. Could you please put on some pants?"

Brennan was far from a prude by any means and she considered herself very comfortable with the male form. She was a doctor, for goodness sake. She had seen her fair share of naked men, but she did not need to be talking to her coworker while he was in his boxers.

"Right. Sorry." He handed his glass of orange juice to her. "Drink this. It might help with the hangover."

Brennan took the glass and stared at it as Hodgins disappeared. She had to shake her head to remind herself that she wasn't dreaming. As she sipped the juice, it hit her all over again. Booth had said he didn't want to work with her anymore. Everything she thought was true, wasn't. She put the glass down on the table next to her wine glass and stood up slowly. She had to get out of there. The last thing she needed was Hodgins seeing her cry.

"And where do you think you're going?" Angela asked as she approached the couch. Brennan noticed that, unlike Hodgins, she was already dressed in a floral, flowing skirt and bright green button down shirt.

"I'm going home," Brennan answered.

"And how exactly were you planning on getting there?"

Brennan hadn't thought through that far. She hadn't driven to Angela's. She didn't have her car. She crinkled her nose as she tried to push through her throbbing head to figure out how she was planning on getting home. She was always so used to being ten steps ahead. It was rare that anything surprised her because she always planned everything out. Over the last several weeks, she had lost that ability. She was changing into a whole new person and she wasn't sure if she liked it or not.

"Taxi," she finally answered. "I'll take a taxi."

"Let's have breakfast first and then we can drop you at home before we go to the lab."

Angela walked into the kitchen and began taking bowls, spoons, and cereal boxes out of the cupboards.

"I don't need breakfast," Brennan said, walking slowly into the kitchen. She stopped to lean on one of the counters.

"When was the last time you ate?" Brennan tried to remember. She and Booth had barely even touched their dinners the night before. "If you have to think about it for that long, it's been too long." She pointed to a high backed chair that was tucked under a high countertop. "Sit."

Brennan listened mostly because she knew Angela would win if she tried to fight her.

"This really isn't necessary," Brennan said.

"It's not like I'm serving you breakfast in bed, Sweetie. It's just cereal." She looked at the three boxes she had taken down. "Looks like we have Special K from when I was going through my 'I need to lose weight' phase, cocoa puffs, and cheerios." She looked carefully at the cheerios box. "Scratch that, they're expired. So, Special K or cocoa puffs?"

"I don't know what's so special about the letter K and I've never experienced cocoa puffs," Brennan answered.

"You're kidding, right?" Angela asked, smiling. Brennan shook her head. "Of course you're not kidding. It's you."

"I don't understand."

Angela opened up the box of cocoa puffs and poured them into a bowl. She grabbed the milk from the refrigerator, poured it into the bowl, and handed the bowl to Brennan.

"Try them. You'll love them."

Brennan took a spoon from her and dipped it into the bowl. She scooped up a mouthful and ate it.

"It's…very sugary," she said when she had swallowed.

"See, I told you you'd like that," Angela exclaimed.

Angela poured herself a bowl and began eating. Brennan took another spoonful, deciding that she did quite enjoy the sugary cereal.

"I see Dr. Hodgins didn't quite make it home last night," Brennan stated.

Angela immediately blushed. "I did kick him out, but by the time he made it to the front door, you were already asleep on the couch and…you know, one thing led to another and he…he sort of stayed. I hope you're not mad."

"Why would I be mad?"

"Because you came to me for girl talk and I had my boyfriend sleep over."

"I don't know what girl talk is."

"It's when two girls talk, Bren."

"Since we talk often, we must have girl talk all the time."

"Uh…yeah."

"I saw Dr. Hodgins in his underwear this morning," she stated plainly. Angela nearly choked on the cereal in her mouth. "Even though he is not very tall, he does have very symmetrical features. He would make a good mate to procreate with."

Angela nearly choked for the second time. "Thanks, Sweetie. How about instead of talking about my boyfriend in his underwear and procreation, we talk about you. How are you feeling this morning?"

"Fine," Brennan answered quickly.

"How's your heart?"

"My heart is fine, Angela. Even though I went into cardiac arrest in the ambulance, my heart is fine."

"That's not what I meant."

"Then what did you mean?"

"I meant, how are you feeling about what happened last night? How are you feeling about Booth?"

"He made me angry."

"I know."

"He doesn't want to work with me anymore, Angela."

"Oh Sweetie, I think you'll find if you give him a chance, he'll change his mind. He's only trying to protect you."

"I don't understand his logic."

"I know you don't. You should talk to him. Give him a chance to explain. Give you both a chance to finally admit what you're feeling."

"It's obvious he doesn't reciprocate my feelings, Angela. I'm not even sure if I believe in those feelings any more."

"Don't say that. Don't give up. He's changed you, Brennan. He's changed you into a person who believes in love. Don't let him take that away from you because of one mistake."

"What if it wasn't a mistake? What if he really feels like I'm not strong enough to be his partner?"

"He doesn't believe that."

"You don't know what he believes."

"Yes I do because he's a man who lives by his emotions. He loves you, Brennan. He just doesn't know how to tell you. Give him a chance."

Brennan put down her bowl.

"I'd like to go home now."

Angela nodded. "Ok."

9:33 AM

Angela was sketching on a pad of paper. She used the edge of her pinkie finger to smudge the charcoal pencil to even out the lines she was drawing. She glanced up at her computer and looked at the picture of a rotating skull that was on the screen. After Clark had put the facial markers on the skull, Angela had input the information into her computer and was beginning to sketch out the facial reconstruction. She knew she could easily have done the recreation on the computer, but there was something about sketching out the face that she loved. When she was sketching, she could give the person a personality. She could make them seem less dead body and more person. Angela hit a button on the keyboard and the skeleton stopped rotating. She focused on the chin. The chin, she knew, was incredibly important. It could change the shape of someone's face. As Angela began to draw a squareish jaw, she looked through her glass office walls and saw Booth practically running towards her. She knew exactly what was coming and she was going to be prepared for it. She put her sketch pad down, stood up, and crossed her arms.

"Angela..." Booth said, walking right into her office.

"I'm not going to tell you," she replied simply.

Booth's jaw dropped, but quickly closed again. It never ceased to amaze him how she knew exactly what he was thinking at all times.

"You don't even know what I was going to say," he protested.

"Yes I do. You want to know if Brennan is ok."

"Is she?"

"You know, I shouldn't even be talking to you. You're like the enemy."

"Angela..."

"She's hurt, but she's ok."

"She won't answer my calls."

"I know."

"She didn't go home last night."

"Were you stalking her?"

"I...was sitting outside her apartment. I had to know if she was ok."

Angela smiled and laughed. She could see in his eyes how much he cared. She had always known how much he cared.

"She was with me."

"That's what Sweets said."

"When did you talk to Sweets?"

Booth was not about to admit that he had gone to Sweets in the middle of the night. Instead, he decided to change the subject and resort to begging.

"Angela, please. Talk to her for me. Tell her to talk to me."

"Trust me, sweetie, I'm on your side. I've always been on your side. I know you two belong together. But Brennan is my best friend so even though I believe in you and what you two could have together, I will always stand by her."

"But you just said you were on my side."

Angela put her hand on his cheek. "Rules of womanhood, Booth. Boyfriends come and go, but you always stand by your girlfriends...even when they're wrong." She turned and sat back down at her desk to continue her sketch.

"Angela?"

"Yeah?" She looked up at him and noticed the sadness in his eyes.

"Do I still have a chance?"

Angela sighed. "She's hurt, Booth. I know Brennan puts up this facade of having no feelings and not letting anything bother her, but she's still a person. She trusted you more than anyone in this entire world. She let her walls down for you and she feels betrayed."

"I didn't mean to hurt her."

"I know that, but she doesn't. I mean, you said you didn't want to work with her anymore. You took away the one thing that she could always count on."

"I told her I didn't want to work with her because I don't want to see her hurt. Working with me is too dangerous. I need to keep her safe. But that doesn't mean I don't want to be with her. I want more than working together, Angela. I want...a life with her."

"I know."

"How do I fix this?"

"Have you tried telling her that? Have you told her that you love her?"

Booth shook his head. He knew he was being a coward. He had had a hundred opportunities to tell her. He should have told her the moment she had woken up in the hospital, but he was too afraid. He didn't want to lose her. He didn't want to lose what they had, but he had done just that. He had lost her.

"I..."

"Talk to her, Booth."

"She won't talk to me."

"Then make her talk to you. It's the only way you can make this right. You have to make her see that you're not going anywhere. You have to make her see that you won't abandon her like her parents or her brother or anyone else she ever cared about."

"Where is she?"

"I can't tell you," Angela said with a slight smile.

Booth put up his hands in frustration. "Angela!"

"What? I told you, Booth, rules of womanhood."

"This is so not fair."

"Let's put it this way. You and Brennan are more alike than you think. Where would you be right now if you were hurting?"

Booth thought about it and nodded. He knew exactly where she was.

"Thanks Angela."

"Go get her, sweetie."

Booth sprinted out of her office while Angela picked up her sketchpad. She finished the chin and moved on to the lips. She knew next to nothing about the victim, but she chose to draw her smiling.

Author's Note: Ok, so I know everyone was expecting a Booth/Bones reunion, but I just felt like I had to write one more chapter. Don't worry, though, there will be a reunion soon. Only two more chapters left!


	42. Chapter 42

**Chapter 42**

Wednesday

10:26 AM

Booth found her just where he knew he'd find her. Angela had been right, they were more alike than even he had realized. To the outside world, they appeared to be polar opposites. He was driven by his emotions. He believed in monogamy and true love and following your gut. She, on the other hand, was driven by science. She believed in biological needs and hard evidence. But they were both the same. They both believed in hard work and justice and truth. That's how Booth knew exactly where she would be. It was because he had gone to the same exact place when he felt hurt and lost.

Booth climbed the steps to the Lincoln Memorial. He could see the great president sitting on his throne through the pillars and the tourists walking up and down the steps, taking snapshots of the impressive memorial. He scanned the busy steps. He looked back and forth, studying every face, but she wasn't among the crowd. He started to think that he had been wrong. Maybe they weren't as alike as he thought.

He was about to give up when he saw her. She was sitting off the right side so that she was out of the way of the people and tour groups who were marching up and down the steps, gaping at the stone memorial. When he saw her, he was suddenly afraid. He had gone off to find her for one reason and one reason only. He was going to tell her how he felt. He thought about how he was going to tell her on his drive over in the car, but seeing her made all of his fears return. Seeing her made him ashamed that he had hurt her even when he had promised that he wouldn't.

As he got closer to her, Booth saw a tear roll down her cheek. He felt a tug at his heart. Not wanting to scare her, he was about to say her name when she turned and looked at him. Her soft eyes grew hard. Her tear was immediately wiped away. She stood up quickly, struggling to stay on her feet. Booth reached out for her, wanting to support her, but she took a step away from him.

"Bones..."

"How did you find me?"

"I...I just knew you would come here."

"Did Angela tell you?"

"No."

"Then how did you find me?"

"I just knew."

"You couldn't know something like that."

"Yes I did. I knew because I know you and I know us."

"That doesn't make any sense."

"This is where I came when I felt hurt. This is where I came when I thought I lost you…when I felt lost inside, Bones. This is where I came because it helped me clear my head. I knew you'd come to the same spot."

She wouldn't look at him. Looking at him hurt too much.

"I don't want to talk to you," she said.

"Bones, please..." He put his hand on her shoulder, but she brushed him off. She began descending the steps slowly. "You're going to hurt yourself."

"I'm fine," she insisted as she continued to walk down.

"I know. You're always fine. But, please..."

She stopped walking and turned to face him.

"What do you want, Booth? You made it very clear that you didn't want to be partners so what do you want?"

"Give me five minutes. That's all I ask. Please."

She thought about it. Angela said that she had to give him a chance. She wasn't sure exactly what that meant, but she was going to try. She crossed her arms over her chest.

"Five minutes," Brennan agreed.

Booth took a deep breath. How could he say all that he wanted to say in only five minutes? He decided to just lay everything out.

"The moment I found out that you were missing, my heart broke. I've never felt such immense fear or pain. And then I was sent the photographs and…I knew they were you. No one would believe me that Collin Brown had you, but I knew. I knew all of the awful things he was doing to you." He paused. "Then I saw the video and my worst fears came true. I thought…I thought that was it. I thought I'd never be able to find you. I thought I had lost you. And even after we figured out where you were being held…when…when we got to that mall and I saw you…I…I failed, Bones. I failed."

"I don't understand."

"I didn't save you."

Brennan shook her head. "But you did. You didn't fail. You found me. You saved me."

"Not before he…he touched you." He wiped away a tear on his cheek. He hadn't realized that he had started crying. "Not before he hurt you. I failed because he got to you. I failed because I let him take you and I let him hurt you and…"

"Booth…"

"That's why, Bones…that's why we can't work together. I can't lose you. I can't see you hurt anymore. I can't be the reason you're hurt." He put emphasis on the word can't. He needed to make her believe that what he was saying was true. "There have been too many times, Bones. Too many times where I thought I lost you. When I watched the clock tick down to zero when the gravedigger had you, when Kenton blew up your refrigerator and tried to feed you to dogs...I can't do that again. I can't go through that pain…I won't survive if I lost you. That means we can't work together anymore, Bones. Because even though I love every minute of it, even though the best parts of my day are when I'm with you, I can't hurt you anymore."

She processed what he said. She tried to think about it logically, but there was nothing logical about it. She knew that losing someone could not cause someone to lose their life, but somehow she understood. It wasn't logical, but she knew that she wouldn't survive if she lost him.

"I understand that you don't want to lose me, but I would never ask you to give up something you love just because I was afraid."

He shook his head, confused. "What do you mean?"

"You're so afraid that I'll get hurt that you're asking me to give up what I love to do. Booth, I love going out in the field with you. I love not being in the lab all the time. You're asking me to give that up."

"I'm asking you to be safe. I'm not asking you to give up your work, Bones. Go back to doing what you fell in love with. Go back to identifying ancient remains."

"That's not what I want. That's not what I love anymore!"

"I am trying to protect you!"

"I don't need your protection!" She had to stop and take a breath, calming herself. They had had their fair share of arguments, but this was a big one. "You say you don't want to work together because you don't want to put me in danger, but what about you? How many times have I come close to losing you? When Pam Nunan pulled that trigger and they told me you were dead…I…I felt that same pain you felt when you found out I was missing."

"It's different."

"How?"

"Because our emotions are different, Bones. You…you compartmentalize everything. You can work through anything. I can't."

"Is that what you think about me?"

"Tell me it isn't true. Tell me you wouldn't have gone right on working if I had really been killed. Damn it, Bones, you didn't even cry at my funeral!" He had never told her how upset he was to see her so calm, cool, and collected at his funeral. To him, it meant she didn't have the feelings for him that he had for her.

"You're right, I didn't! I didn't cry! But do you know why?"

"Because you don't belief grief is a tangible, necessary feeling."

"Because I didn't have any tears left!"

"What?"

"I spent every night crying over you! Yes, I went to work and I functioned and I did what I needed to do, but I spent every night crying! I spent every night alone in tears thinking I would never see you again! So don't you for a minute think I didn't care! Don't you dare think that it was easy for me! Because it wasn't easy! It was the hardest thing I've ever had to do! I've never hurt as much as I hurt that day!"

Booth saw the emotional pain on her face and he knew that she was telling the truth. She did care.

"Oh Bones, I'm…I'm so sorry. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I was angry, Booth. I was angry at you for not telling me that you were alive. I was angry at myself for falling apart. And it was easier to pretend that I was the unemotional one because that's why everyone expected of me."

"I'm sorry."

Neither of them said anything. They were both trying to process everything that had been revealed.

"I don't want to do anything else," Brennan whispered. "I don't want to do anything else except be your partner. I'm willing to accept the risks. Please be willing to accept them with me."

"I don't ever want to see you hurt."

"And I never want to see you hurt. But we accept the risks…together."

Booth wanted to protect her with everything he had. He wanted to keep her away from harm. But, as he looked into her eyes, he knew what he had to do. He wanted to work with her as much as she wanted to work with him. He couldn't just let her go.

"I don't want to work with anybody else, Bones. Nobody but you."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him close. He looped his arm around her waist and held her. They were both silent as they clung to each other. They both knew that they had brought their relationship to a different level and it had nothing to do with physical advances. He was finally ready to open up.

"Bones, I…"

She unattached herself from him and looked into his eyes.

"Wait. I need to say something."

"Bones…" He needed to tell her.

"Please." He would never be able to deny her anything so he nodded, allowing her to continue. "I'm not like you, Booth. I don't understand emotions most of the time. Since I lost my parents, I never let anybody else in. I never allowed myself to become emotionally involved with someone nor did I allow anyone to become emotionally involved with me. But Angela told me that you know you're in love when the first thing you think of in the morning is that person and when you want to talk to that person whether you've had a good day or a bad day and you want that person beside you at all times." She took a deep breath. "If that's why love is then I…I love you, Booth."

Brennan held her breath, waiting for him to respond. He didn't move. He couldn't think. His mouth was slightly open in awe. Those three words traveled through his mind over and over again. Brennan blinked, trying to blink away tears. She had opened herself to him again and he wasn't reciprocating.

"Angela says that after somebody admits something like that, the appropriate response would be…"

"I can't believe you said it first."

Brennan blinked rapidly, not sure what he meant. She had never told anyone before that she loved them, but she was pretty sure that what happened was not what was supposed to happen.

"I…I realize that love is an emotional response to a physical need and so maybe I misread what you were feeling and maybe I…" She wasn't making sense. She was rambling, which wasn't something she was used to. She only ever rambled about evidence and scientific facts, but never about her emotions. She didn't know what she was saying.

Booth put his finger over her lips and she stopped talking.

"I love you, Bones," he stated.

"Wh…what?"

"I said I love you. I've loved you since the moment I met you."

"That's not possible. To love someone, you have to get to know them and there is no way you could have…"

"I thought you didn't know anything about love, Bones," he teased.

"Well, I don't, but…"

"Bones?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up and kiss me."

Brennan connected her lips with his before he could even finish his sentence. She kissed him with passion and hunger and, for the first time in her life, love. She looped her arms around his neck, playing with the hair at the base of his neck. Booth had one hand wrapped around her waist and the other buried in her hair. They held each other like both their lives depended on it.

"Get a room," somebody grumbled as he passed by them on the steps.

Booth and Brennan pulled apart, but Booth refused to completely let go of her. He kept one hand at her waist. It felt so natural being with her in that way. He didn't feel worried or scared anymore. It felt right. He had a huge smile on his face.

"Why are you smiling?" She asked.

"Because I'm happy. And because you have no idea what that guy meant, do you, Bones?" Booth asked.

"No."

He laughed. "Didn't think so."

"Do you think they'll still let us work together?" Brennan asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Now that we're involved. Will the FBI still let us be partners?"

Booth shrugged. "Nothing is going to stop us from being partners, Bones."

"You can't know that."

"Yes I can."

"How?"

"Because I love you."

This time she smiled. "That's not a good reason, Booth."

"It is for me. Besides, Bones, they won't separate us because we're too successful. We've got the best percentage of cases solved the FBI had ever seen. We're like their golden couple."

"We do work every well together."

"Yes, we do. And now that we are officially a couple, we'll work even better together."

"Oh? How do you know that?"

"Because I love you."

She giggled and Booth couldn't help but laugh. He had made Dr. Temperance Brennan giggle. He had never heard a more amazing sound.

"I know that, Booth," Brennan said. "You already said that."

"Well, I spent years not saying it so I'm making up for lost time."

She leaned up to kiss him again. It was as if she couldn't get enough of him. She had never felt that way towards any of the other men she had been in relationships with.

"Booth?"

"Yes, Bones?"

"Does what that man said have anything to do with sexual intercourse?"

Booth couldn't help but smile again. "Yes, Bones, it does."

"I would very much like to have intercourse with you, Booth."

He couldn't help but blush. "I've never had anyone say it quite like that before."

"Is it unacceptable to admit that to someone?"

"No. It's just…not usually how it goes."

"How does it usually go?"

"Usually it starts with dinner or a movie or something. But this works too."

"Booth?"

"Yes?"

"I…I am very interested in sex with you, but…I…I don't think I'm ready for…"

Booth silenced her with a small kiss. He put his hand on her cheek. "We can take as much time as you need, Bones. Trust me, I'm very good at waiting. I've been doing it for years." He kissed her again.

"I love you," she said.

He laughed. "I know Bones. You already said that."

"Well, a wise man once told me that after spending years of not saying it, I have to make up for lost time."

"He is a very wise man."

"I would very much like to go to dinner or a movie."

He smiled. "As you wish…my girl," he said as he kissed her forehead. He took her by the hand and they walked down the steps together.

Author's Note: I hope this chapter didn't disappoint! I know a lot of people assumed they'd meet up at the diner, but I couldn't help but put my own little spin on the location of them pouring their guts out to each other. There's still one more chapter to go because I just can't say goodbye to this story just yet. Thanks for reading!


	43. Chapter 43

**Epilogue**

6 Months Later

Wednesday

7:28 AM

Booth woke up feeling warm and tired and incredibly happy. He felt her weight on him and it made him smile. He opened his eyes slowly and took in the sight of her. She was sprawled lazily over his naked chest, her head resting on his arm. Their pillows had long since been thrown to the floor. The only blanket that remained on the bed was the sheet that was wrapped around Brennan's leg and came up over her waist. His arm was protectively secured around her waist. He tilted his head so his nose was buried in her hair. He loved the smell of her hair. He didn't know how she could always have the perfect combination of sweet and sexy.

It had been six months and Booth still hadn't gotten used to waking up with her. The six months had flown by. They worked together as partners during the day like they always had, still bickering and solving cases almost better than they had before. At night they would retreat to one of their apartments and spend the night laughing and talking and sharing the moments that any couple shared. Everything about their newfound relationship was amazing and real and more than Booth could have imagined.

Even though they had spent every night together since admitting their feelings to each other that day at the Lincoln Memorial, Booth had given her all the time she needed. He didn't push for more physical contact than she was willing to give. He wanted her with every ounce of his being. He had wanted her since the moment he laid eyes on her, but he was respectful. For the first few weeks of their new relationship, they shared passionate kisses and a few very heavy makeout sessions. When night came, he would hold her and help her through her nightmares, but never push for more. Finally, after several weeks, she stopped having the nightmares altogether and they would just sleep wrapped in each other's arms every night.

It was several months after her ordeal that she had surprised him. They had gone through a rather ordinary day at work. She spent most of the day in the lab, trying to find the cause of death on an elderly, female victim. He had spent most of the day interviewing relatives of the victim. They hadn't seen each other much during the day except for a brief lunch date at the diner where they talked mostly about the case. With Booth staying at the office to finish some paperwork, she had gotten to her apartment before he did. When he finally got home, she practically attacked him against the door. She couldn't get enough of him. He tried to slow her down. He told her that she didn't have to do anything that she didn't want to do, but she kissed him and touched him like she wanted more. He made love to her that night. It was slow and passionate and intensely amazing. He had never felt so connected to anyone in his entire life. He knew nothing would ever compare to what he had experienced with her that first time. From then on, things only got better. Most days they both went to work absolutely exhausted because sleep was the last things on their minds during the night.

Booth trailed his hand up her naked back and into her hair. He ran his fingers through her hair. She moved slightly as he kissed her forehead. She hummed quietly, letting him know that she was awake.

"Good morning," he whispered.

"Morning," she replied. She rolled so that she was completely on top of him. She rested her chin on his chest and looked into his eyes.

"I love you." He never got tired of saying it. It was as if he needed to make up for all the time that he was too afraid to say it.

"I know." She brushed her lips against his lightly.

He swept his hands across her face, pushing her hair out of the way so that he could really look at her.

"You're beautiful."

"I know."

He laughed and raised his head up enough to capture her lips and really kiss her good morning. She, on the other hand, had more than kissing on her mind. Brennan ran her hands down his chest. He knew if she continued her journey, neither of them would get out of bed. He rolled on top of her, being sure to secure his weight on his knees so he wasn't pressing down on her. She was no longer hurt, but the surgery scar on her chest reminded him of how much pain she had been in. He indulged in the kiss for a few more seconds before he pushed her hand away from his thigh and brought it up above her head, but immediately released her hand. He never pinned her down. He never held down her wrists, not only because he knew how much damage had been caused to her wrists, but because he never wanted her to feel like she wasn't in control. He never wanted her to feel like she was back there in that basement.

"Bones..." he warned as she kissed a trail down his jaw and to his neck.

"Am I doing something wrong?" She asked innocently, but teasingly.

"We're going to be late."

"So?"

He stopped kissing her to look at her.

"Did I just hear you correctly? Did you just say that you didn't care if we're late? Because the Bones I know is never late."

"Well, there's a first time for everything." She kissed him again. "Or...we can murder two birds with one rock."

Booth laughed. She looked at him, confused.

"It's kill two birds with one stone, Bones."

"Either way, it doesn't really make any sense. Using a stone to kill a bird is not a very effective method."

"You're absolutely right." He kissed her. "So what two birds are we killing?"

"A shower."

"A shower?"

"We both need to shower before work. If we shower together, we can take care of our little...situation," she said, pointing to his groin. "And we can get ready for work."

"We wouldn't have had a situation if you hadn't started."

"Is that a no?"

"No. That is a definite yes. Race you to the shower."

Booth climbed off of her and ran off to the bathroom. Brennan took her time. She didn't understand it, but she knew that men liked to win most of the time. Even though she was competitive by nature, this was one race she was going to let him win.

9:49 AM

Brennan sat down at her desk while Booth hung up her coat that he had just helped her out of. She had stopped insisting that she could take her coat off on her own. With some explanation from Angela, Brennan just accepted the fact that Booth liked to do things like open her car door, pull out her chair at restaurants, and help her out of her coat because he was a gentleman and he liked doing nice things for her.

"So...lunch?" Booth asked, casually walking over to her desk.

Brennan had already booted up her computer and was beginning to pull up photographs of a human skeleton that she was trying to identify. They didn't have a case so Brennan was using the time off to try to sort through some of the bones in the bone room.

"Maybe."

"Maybe?"

"Well, I have a lot of work to do with these remains."

"Bones, they've been in the bone room for years. Another few hours won't hurt. Besides, I thought we could...you know...have a repeat of this morning."

"Another shower, Booth?"

"You know that's not what I meant."

"So you want to have sexual intercourse at lunch."

"Bones," he hissed, looking around to make sure nobody heard her.

"We're in my office, Booth. There's nobody else around."

"Still, you can't go around talking about that."

"Why not? It's not like it's a secret. Everybody knows we're a couple now."

"I know, Bones, but people don't go around talking about their sex lives."

"Well, then maybe I can't have lunch with you today."

Booth put his hand on the edge of her desk and leaned over her. She reclined back in her desk chair, but he wasn't going to let her get away that easily. He bent until his face was inches from hers.

"You know you want to," he said.

"You don't know what I want."

"That's not what you said this morning. Or last night."

He closed the gap and kissed her. They had both been very clear with each other that public displays of affection were not ok in the work place. Although they had been known to share a few kisses here and there, they had been careful to keep their relationship contained. Everyone at the Jeffersonian knew they were a couple, but they still tried to keep it professional. As the heat passed between them, though, it was hard to keep their hands off each other.

Cam walked into Brennan's office with her nose buried in a file. She looked up and nearly dropped the file.

"Uh...wow…ok," she said.

They immediately stopped kissing and Booth stood up. He straightened his tie as Brennan pushed her chair closer to her desk to pretend as if she had been working.

"We were...ah..." Booth stuttered, trying to come up with some explanation why they were making out in Brennan's office.

"I know what you were doing," Cam interjected. Like everyone else, she was glad that Brennan and Booth were finally an item. She found it quite sweet that they were so happy together.

"Did you need something Dr. Saroyan?" Brennan asked.

"Uh...yeah. From the sketch that Angela did, we were able to pull this off the missing person database," Cam explained. She handed Brennan a photo from the file she was holding. "Her name is Carla Thornton. She went missing in 2002. Her dental records match."

"Well, now we've got an ID," Brennan replied, handing the photo back to Cam.

"I came by to show it to you earlier, but you weren't in," Cam stated. "I think this is the first time you've ever been late, Dr. Brennan."

"Am I in trouble?"

"No. Just making an observation."

"I know it's customary in these situations since you're my boss to offer an explanation as to why I was late."

"Bones..." Booth warned, hoping she wouldn't say what he knew she would say.

"Booth and I were having intercourse in the shower this morning," Brennan said. Booth smacked himself in the head as Cam's eyes grew wide. "That's why I was late. I apologize. I can't say it won't happen again because I find morning sex very satisfying and Booth is a very skilled sexual partner, probably the best I've ever had and..."

"Bones!" Booth shouted. He couldn't even look at Cam although he knew her cheeks had turned the same shade of scarlet that his had.

"What?" Brennan asked innocently.

"I think...I think I'll...I'll be in my office," Cam said, turning quickly around.

"But what about the ID? Booth and I should begin looking into cause of death and..."

"You do that," Cam replied. She handed Booth the file and walked briskly out of the room, leaving Booth shaking his head in embarrassment.

"Bones..." Booth whined.

"What?"

"Remember when I told you that people don't go around talking about their sex lives?"

"Yes."

"That's exactly what you just did!"

"I felt it was appropriate to tell Cam why I was late."

"You could have told her you had a flat tire or you forget to set your alarm."

"I don't use an alarm. My body naturally rises at the same time."

"The point is, you could have lied, Bones."

"I don't lie."

"Let's just keep our sex lives to ourselves. Ok?"

Brennan sighed. "Ok. Although I don't know why it has to be a secret when it is very satisfying."

"Bones!"

"Ok."

"Now...back to this dead body. Any indication it was a murder?"

11:57 PM

Both Brennan and Booth collapsed on the bed, absolutely exhausted. As they stared up at the ceiling, Booth slid his hand across the bedspread and wrapped his hand around her fingers. He brushed his thumb back and forth across her smooth skin as she linked her fingers with his. Neither of them spoke. They had done nothing but talk all day. As soon as Cam had left Brennan's office and Brennan had snapped on a pair of latex gloves to determine whether or not the newly identified victim had been murdered, Booth had received a call that a dead body had been found just outside of DC. It was found in the middle of the woods, the flesh having been eaten by maggots and woodland creatures. They had both spent the day trying to find cause of death and identity. They had finally identified the victim over Thai food for dinner and had spent the rest of the night talking to the victim's brother and trying to put together a case. It had been a very long day.

"I'm starving," Booth finally commented.

"Starving sounds a little extreme, Booth. We did eat dinner."

"Yeah, seven hours ago."

"If you're hungry, get yourself something to eat."

"I'm too tired." Brennan turned onto her side to look at him. She had a big smile on her face. "What?" He asked when he realized she was staring at him.

"I never thought it was possible to be this happy," she said.

"Bones, you spent hours picking maggots off a dead body."

"That makes me happy."

He rolled over so he was facing her. "I sure picked a winner."

"I don't know what that means."

"It means I love you, Bones."

"I love you, too."

He kissed her the tip of her nose.

"I have something for you."

"Booth, I'm sorry, but I think I am just a little too tired for sex tonight."

"It's not sex, Bones."

"Oh." He hung his arms over the side of the bed and reached under the bed. He pulled out a wrapped present and sat up. She sat up and leaned against the headboard. He scooted beside her and handed her the gift. "What is it?" She asked.

"Open it and find out."

"You don't have to buy me gifts, Booth."

"I know. This is just a little something to remind you that you're..." he leaned in to whisper in her ear. "My girl."

Brennan examined the neatly wrapped package before ripping the paper and throwing it over the side of the bed. She looked at the gift closely.

"What is it?" She asked.

"It's a DVD, Bones."

Brennan turned it over so she could see the cover. "My girl," she read.

"Exactly. My Girl the movie. It's about a girl who falls in love for the first time. Kind of like you, Bones."

"I'm not a girl. And this is not the first time I've fallen in love."

"Oh no? Because it's the first time I've fallen in love."

Her eyes turned soft as he reached for her hand once more.

"Really?" She asked.

"Really. Bones, I've never felt this way about anyone before. I've never loved anyone this much. You know that, right?"

She nodded, close to tears.

"There's only one problem," she said quietly.

"What's that?"

"This is a very nice gift, but I don't have a DVD player. Or a TV."

He laughed and leaned in to kiss her. "Then I guess we'll have to watch it at my place."

"Or..."

"Or?"

"Or maybe we could think about getting a place with a TV and a DVD player...together."

Booth's eyes widened. He was shocked. He didn't quite know what to say. He just kept staring at her. He never expected Brennan to suggest that they get a place together. He had always thought she was too independent and unwilling to settle down.

"Bones, I…" Booth stuttered, still completely in shock.

"Or maybe it's not such a good idea," she said, sure that she could see in his face that he was not interested in moving in together.

Brennan looked away from him and stood up. He knew she was pulling away. Booth tugged on her arm and she sat down beside him. He left one hand on her arm and used his other hand to cup her face. He turned her head so she was meeting his eyes.

"You want to get a place? Together? As in move in together?" Booth asked.

"Well, I think it's more logical than trying to decide whose apartment to stay at every night. Your apartment is too small and mine isn't exactly kid friendly for Parker..." Hearing her mention Parker being a part of their lives as a couple brought tears to his eyes. "So it only makes sense that we should get a place together. I was thinking we should start looking at houses."

Booth smiled. "I always knew you were a genius, Bones," he said as he brushed his lips against hers. Minutes ago, he was exhausted, but he felt miraculously full of energy. He knew it was because of her. He attached his lips to her throat. She arched back so he had better access.

"Besides," she panted. "It might also be nice to have some extra rooms and a big backyard for...you know...whoever might come alone."

Booth stopped, his voice caught in his throat. He wondered if he'd heard her right.

"Whoever might come along?" He whispered.

"Yes."

"As in...a baby? As in, you want a baby?"

"You don't want a baby?" She asked, confused.

"No...I mean yes, I mean...I want a baby, Bones. You have no idea how much I want a baby with you. I just never thought you did so I thought it was off the table."

"I don't know what that means. But I do know I want to have a baby with you, Booth. With your heart and my brains, our child will be very well-positioned for a successful life."

"That's the sexiest thing I think I've ever heard."

"I don't know what about that is sexy, but thank you...I think."

"Everything about you is sexy, Bones."

He leaned over and kissed the spot on her forehead that had become his spot. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and she leaned against him.

"I love you, Booth."

"I love you too, my girl."

They both smiled and fell asleep in each other's arms.

Author's Note: Sorry, but this is going to be a long author's note.

First, I want to say thank you so much to every person who read and/or reviewed this story. Every single review made me feel so incredibly humbled, I can't even explain it. Hearing the amazing comments actually makes me thing that maybe there's a chance that I could become a "real" author someday so thank you for that. You all have given me the confidence to pursue my dreams.

Second, I hope everyone enjoyed this last chapter. I just couldn't end the story without looking into the future at what Booth and Brennan would look like as a happy couple. I hope everyone liked it and that it was worth the wait. I've had this chapter mostly done for a long time now, but I wanted to make sure it was as good as it could be before I published it.

Third, the ending of this story is a little sad just because I've been working on it for so long. I actually started writing this story back on March 16th so this has really been a 3 ½ month journey for me and I'm sad that it's finally coming to an end. But, I'm happy that so many people have enjoyed reading it.

Lastly, even though I almost never do this, I've actually started working on a sequel for this story (I've got about 3 chapters done so far). I don't usually write sequels simply because after such a long story, I'm usually out of ideas, but an idea hit me when I was writing his story and I just had to write it down. I won't start posting the sequel until I can be sure that I will actually finish the story, but I just wanted to give you a heads up. So, stay tuned because there should be more Brennan/Booth to come!

Thank you again and don't forget to review! Oh, and Happy 4th of July to all of my American readers!


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